M A I N   N E W S

Samata shuns merger move
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Jan 6 — The National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) edifice is now affected by disquiet in its largest non-BJP component, with the grand merger plan of the Janata Dal (United), Samata Party and the Lok Shakti coming a cropper today.

The Samata Party, apparently peeved over its failure to get the party president’s post, shunned the merger move even as the Lok Shakti went ahead by formalising its merger with the Janata Dal (United) JD (U) and endorsed the continuation of Mr Sharad Yadav as the President of the united party.

This adds to the disquiet within the ruling alliance with the pivot of arrangement, the BJP, also undergoing pangs due to differences in its ranks over the handling of the recent Kathmandu-Kandahar hijacking imbroglio.

The merger convention of the JD (U), however, lost much of its glamour as the Samata Party, barely a few hours before the convention was to begin announced that it would be staying away from the meet. The formal merger of the two parties was endorsed by a show of hands by all the participating delegates.

The steering committee of the JD (U) consisting of senior leaders from the three parties met twice in the past two days and the modalities for the formal merger of the three parties had been more or less finalised.

Samata Party General Secretary, Ms Jaya Jaitley in an indirect reference to the differences over the leadership of the united party said: “In the absence of a structured united party, it will be wise to fight Assembly elections in four states through mutual seat adjustments on respective party symbols”.

The leaders of the JD (U) and the Lok Shakti were however, more vocal in their criticism of the Samata Party with both Mr Sharad Yadav and Mr Ramakrishna Hegde accusing it of hankering over power rather than principles.

One can’t continue in power with manipulations and it is the principles and ideals that would take the JD (U) forward”, Mr Yadav said in his concluding speech at the meet, which was attended by functionaries of both JD (U) and the Lok Shakti from all parts of the country.

Ms Jaitley said the Samata Party was prepared to have seat adjustments as it did not want a repetition of the Karnataka experience in Bihar. She suggested that the three parties contest the election on their respective symbols.

She said in the absence of clear modalities on seat adjustment and choice of candidates, the Samata Party had decided to stay away from the unification conference.

Mr Hegde in his speech at the conference said: “I am hurt that our friends, who were insisting that I take the initiative to unite the Janata Dal, to revive a new force in the country, are not with us”.

He said the three parties had been holding several meetings over the past few days and there were no differences over the proposed merger. “But today suddenly the Samata Party has decided that the merger will take place only when Mr George Fernandes is made President of the party”, he said.