JD-U pricks ears on temple issue

Ahead of Assembly elections in February, the JDU has threatened to snap ties with the BJP if the party revives controversial issues, begin...

Ahead of Assembly elections in February, the JDU has threatened to snap ties with the BJP if the party revives controversial issues, beginning with Ayodhya. The party today sought an 8216;8216;immediate8217;8217; meeting of the NDA to clarify the recent statement of BJP president L.K. Advani on the temple.

8216;8216;We will seek an immediate meeting of the NDA after the recent statement of the BJP leadership on Ayodhya has created unnecessary controversies and the feeling8230;that the BJP is charting its own course with Hindutva as its driving force,8217;8217; the JDU resolution said.

8216;8216;We joined the NDA only after the three controversial issues 8212; Article 370, uniform civil code and Ayodhya 8212; had been removed from the agenda. If any effort is now made to revive them, we shall have to take another road. We shall never compromise with religious bigotry,8217;8217; it said.

At its three-day national executive in Ranchi that ended today, the party focussed on discussing ways to approach the Assembly polls in Bihar and Jharkhand.

Although the JDU and the Lok Janashakti Party have been working behind the scenes in Bihar to bring together anti-Laloo parties for quite some time, there have been no results as the parties are part of the rival UPA and NDA factions.

Will the JDU dump the BJP to shake hands with Paswan8217;s party at the hustings? 8216;8216;In politics, everything is possible,8217;8217; said JDU leader and former Union Minister Digvijay Singh who briefed reporters after the national executive this afternoon.

On condition of anonymity, a state president of the party said a section of the office-bearers was of the view that the JDU should not break ties with the BJP as the latter has already decided to offer 35 of 81 seats in Jharkhand. The JDU has only eight MLAs 8212; four of whom have already turned rebels.

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The opposing lobby, however, wants the JDU to explore an anti-BJP front seriously, particularly in Bihar where the Dalit and Muslim votes tend to be polarised in favour of the RJD due to their alliance with the BJP.

The other issues that came up are criminalisation of politics, corruption and development which could be used as poll planks against the Rabri Devi government.

After the briefing, the top brass of the JDU, including president George Fernandes, Nitish Kumar, Singh and Sharad Yadav addressed a rally at the Morahabadi grounds.