 "We want tradition of NDA to be followed: Sharad Yadav")
Janata Dal (United) President Sharad Yadav spoke to Gyan Verma on relations with the BJP, the JDU's friends and its enemies. Excerpts:
You say the BJP is an old friend but you have given it a deadline to name the Prime Ministerial candidate. Is there friendship left in the NDA?
Why do you think friendship is not there anymore? We have a long standing alliance and we have given BJP leadership a lot of time to decide on their future course of action.
You have given criteria for Prime Ministerial candidate..
What if the BJP insists on the name of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi?
We have suggested to the BJP that NDA has been running for the past 17 years and there should be no change in it. There has been a long tradition of the NDA and how it has functioned so no changes should be done. The resolution passed by JD(U) is very clear on that. The alliance is working well for the past 17 years, so there is no reason to bring any kind of changes in it.
We want the tradition of NDA to be followed. We had agreed on certain principles and they should be followed. Consultations between allies happen all the time.
BJP leadership has asked you to attack the Congress-led government and not create differences within NDA. Is it a message that BJP will not agree to your demands?
There is no doubt that we have to fight against the ruling UPA but what can we do? We have to protect our secular credentials also. There can be no compromise on our principles.
Do you see Congress party as a potential ally in future?
No, there is no question of an alliance with Congress party.
Since JD(U) is a senior partner in Bihar with 118 MLAs and 20 MPs, is that why you are trying to put pressure on the party to agree to your terms in choosing the PM candidate? Is there a threat to the state government?
The Bihar government is functioning well. We are not trying to put pressure on the BJP and there is no threat to the Bihar government. It is trying to deliver on the promises made during the elections. We have taken a stand that we will not compromise on our principles.
JD(U) is the only alliance partner in NDA to oppose Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, don’t you think JD(U) should compromise rather than expect all other alliance partners to agree to its terms?
It is too early to say what will happen to the alliance between NDA partners. There is still some time left.
Have you discussed these differences with L K Advani and BJP President Rajnath Singh?
Yes we keep discussing all these issues. It would not be right on my part to disclose our discussions.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is demanding special status for the state, do you think Congress will do it?
The demand for special status is a national agenda. There can be no inclusive growth without uplifting the backward regions of the country. Bihar will get special status sooner or later. There is no hidden political agenda behind it. We have to build a country.
Nitish Kumar said there should be no genetic changes in alliance. Your comments.
Yes, this is absolutely true. We don’t want changes in NDA. We should not take any steps that will go against the traditional values of the alliance and why it was formed 17 years ago. What is the need to create new differences in the alliance?
BJP says there should be no attack on its chief ministers? Nitish Kumar was railway minister in 2002 when Gujarat riots happened.
We have not taken name of any chief minister. The political resolution is very clear and it doesn’t name any chief minister. What can we do if someone tries to name himself because of the resolution? We have not taken a name while bringing the political resolution.
You say the BJP is an old friend but you have given it a deadline to name the Prime Ministerial candidate. Is there friendship left in the NDA?
Why do you think friendship is not there anymore? We have a long standing alliance and we have given BJP leadership a lot of time to decide on their future course of action.
You have given criteria for Prime Ministerial candidate..
Also Read
We have only said that the Prime Ministerial candidate should be chosen according to the resolution passed by Janata Dal (United) and keeping in mind the traditional principles of NDA.
What if the BJP insists on the name of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi?
We have suggested to the BJP that NDA has been running for the past 17 years and there should be no change in it. There has been a long tradition of the NDA and how it has functioned so no changes should be done. The resolution passed by JD(U) is very clear on that. The alliance is working well for the past 17 years, so there is no reason to bring any kind of changes in it.
We want the tradition of NDA to be followed. We had agreed on certain principles and they should be followed. Consultations between allies happen all the time.
BJP leadership has asked you to attack the Congress-led government and not create differences within NDA. Is it a message that BJP will not agree to your demands?
There is no doubt that we have to fight against the ruling UPA but what can we do? We have to protect our secular credentials also. There can be no compromise on our principles.
Do you see Congress party as a potential ally in future?
No, there is no question of an alliance with Congress party.
Since JD(U) is a senior partner in Bihar with 118 MLAs and 20 MPs, is that why you are trying to put pressure on the party to agree to your terms in choosing the PM candidate? Is there a threat to the state government?
The Bihar government is functioning well. We are not trying to put pressure on the BJP and there is no threat to the Bihar government. It is trying to deliver on the promises made during the elections. We have taken a stand that we will not compromise on our principles.
JD(U) is the only alliance partner in NDA to oppose Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, don’t you think JD(U) should compromise rather than expect all other alliance partners to agree to its terms?
It is too early to say what will happen to the alliance between NDA partners. There is still some time left.
Have you discussed these differences with L K Advani and BJP President Rajnath Singh?
Yes we keep discussing all these issues. It would not be right on my part to disclose our discussions.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is demanding special status for the state, do you think Congress will do it?
The demand for special status is a national agenda. There can be no inclusive growth without uplifting the backward regions of the country. Bihar will get special status sooner or later. There is no hidden political agenda behind it. We have to build a country.
Nitish Kumar said there should be no genetic changes in alliance. Your comments.
Yes, this is absolutely true. We don’t want changes in NDA. We should not take any steps that will go against the traditional values of the alliance and why it was formed 17 years ago. What is the need to create new differences in the alliance?
BJP says there should be no attack on its chief ministers? Nitish Kumar was railway minister in 2002 when Gujarat riots happened.
We have not taken name of any chief minister. The political resolution is very clear and it doesn’t name any chief minister. What can we do if someone tries to name himself because of the resolution? We have not taken a name while bringing the political resolution.