JD(U), Samata Party merge

To prevent a split in their common vote bank, mainly in Bihar, in preparation for next year's Lok Sabha polls, the Sharad Yadav-led Janata Dal (United) and the George Fernandes-headed Samata Party have decided to merge and form a new party.

Though the formal announcement of the merger will be made on October 30, it is being seen as a move to unite anti-Laloo forces in Bihar. In a signed statement, Fernandes and Yadav announced the merger, without elaborating on the nomenclature of the new party and who will be heading it.

The decision to merge the two parties was taken at a meeting today. Nitish Kumar was also present at the meeting, it said.

Fernandes and Yadav have been collaborating to unite Socialist groups including the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Ramvilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party to revive the anti-Congress plank before the Lok Sabha polls.

According to Samata Party sources, Fernandes has also developed a rapport with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to discuss the "solidarity of the Socialist forces". Thus Yadav will also be the part of loosely knit group to marginalise Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at the national level.

The merger, which also has the backing of Railway Minister Nitish Kumar, is a calculated move to enlarge the party's parliamentary strength and prevent any split. While the JD(U) has 6 members in the Lok Sabha, the Samata Party has 12.

Observers, however, say it will be difficult to rope in disparate Socialist groups at the national level. For instance, Nitish Kumar has reservations about Paswan. Similarly, Om Prakash Chautala has shown his reluctance in committing himself to "anti-Congressism" of the Socialists of yesteryears.

Any coalition of Socialists will be incomplete without Mulayam Singh Yadav's participation. But Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh has shown reluctance at committing his party to becoming part of any coalition to resurrect either "anti-Congressism" or "anti-Sonia-ism" in the present scenario.

He denied having met JD (U) general secretary KC Tyagi over a luncheon meeting. "Tyagi is an expelled member of our party. There is no question of having lunch with him. I have personal relations with Fernandes and will be happy to attend a lunch hosted by him, if invited," he said.

Because of previous experiences, the Samajwadi Party is looking at the participation in a front with wariness. "Whenever we have participated in a front, we are the ones who have lost out. A front involves interacting with several leaders who are treated as equals even when there is wide disparity in their political standings on the ground. We do not really believe much is gained from this kind of disproportionate representation," sources said, spelling out a sticking point that is hindering the development of such a front.

"Being part of a front means you have to compromise, your manoeuvrability gets restricted and you are just one among several leaders," sources said.

The Party would continue to give issue-based support to a party or front it agreed with as per a party resolution, passed at its Bhopal executive meeting, soon after Yadav was named the chief minister of UP. Similarly, it would not be averse to receiving issue-based support, they said.

"We consider the CPI(M) the most dependable ally. But even the People's Front split on the issue of the nomination of Capt Laxmi Sahgal as the presidential candidate. We have decided on the issue-based support rather than getting involved with fronts," sources said.

The party has declared that opposition to the Congress would not be initiated from "our end". "We invited them to take part in our government. For reasons of their own, they are the ones who refused," they said.