25/05/2016

After SP & RLD, idea of merger of JVM with JD(U) decently buried

 

Patna,(BiharTimes): None else but Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar himself took part in what can be called the decent burial of the idea of merger of Janata Dal (United) and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha.

But there is a small consolation. Unlike Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and JD(U) would certainly join hands to campaign for a BJP-mukt India by 2019.

Nitish was present at the JVM’s conclave at Ranchi’s Morabadi Maidan as a special guest, where its president, Babulal Marandi was re-elected to this post for the third time.

On this occasion they embraced each other and Marandi called Nitish a prime ministerial material for 2019 Lok Sabha election while the lattter showered fulsome praise on the former and called him the best chief minister of the state and the most suitable CM candidate for the 2019 Assembly election in Jharkhand.

Though the two parties dropped enough hints of cooperation there was no mention on merger of the two parties as was being speculated in the media till a few weeks back.

But this is not the first case of merger programme getting derailed. It was none else but the Bihar chief minister who was very much eager to merge half a dozen parties of Janata Parivar.


In this regard he even went to Tihar Jail to meet jailed former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, who was convicted in a corruption case.

But exactly a year ago it was Ram Gopal Yadav, the Samajwadi Party MP and cousin of party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who poured cold water on all such proposal by ruling out any possibility of his party joining the new merged outfit


Nitish was left with no option but to form a Grand Alliance with RJD and Congress.

Early this year he again mooted the idea of merging JD(U) and Rashtriya Lok Dal.

Things appeared to be moving in correct direction till April 10 when Nitish became the president of the Janata Dal (United). If sources are to be believed this upset RLD leader Ajit Singh, who wanted to become the national president of the merged outfit. Besides, he wanted his son Jayant Chaudhary to be accommodated.

Nitish made these efforts fully knowing that the Jats, on whose votes RLD rely heavily, have tilted towards the BJP after 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.

Now reports suggest that the BJP is trying to woo Ajit Singh, who may get a berth in Rajya Sabha.

Perhaps cautioned by this latest development Nitish gave up the idea of merger with JVM. He attended the Ranchi conclave of the party where he chose to target BJP. He singled out chief minister Raghuvar Das for encouraging alcoholism after prohibition was imposed in Bihar.


comments powered by Disqus





traffic analytics