The Hindu : Wary JD(U) puts brakes on merger

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 22, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Wary JD(U) puts brakes on merger

By S. Rajendran

Bangalore June 21. The senior Janata Dal (United) leaders have decided to stay away from the Janata Dal (Secular) until the latter states a clear-cut policy on the proposed merger of the two parties, including the status of the party rank and file in the unified party. The merger question has been reportedly put on the back burner owing to a lack of understanding on who should head the State unit of the unified party.

The new approach by the JD(U) to the vexed merger imbroglio comes at a time when the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, has reportedly been working on a new strategy of bringing together all the leaders and workers of the erstwhile Janata Dal. A section of the JD(S) leaders has been talking to the JD(U) leaders and to those in the "unattached" Janata Dal on holding a meeting on June 26 to look at ways and means of going ahead with the merger.

The bone of contention between the JD(U) leaders and a section of the JD(S) was stated to be the manner in which H.D. Kumaraswamy, former MP and son of Mr. Deve Gowda, was once again being ushered to the forefront. There are several senior leaders in the JD(U), leave alone the JD(S) headed by the former Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, at the State level, who are more senior than Mr. Kumaraswamy. They include the former ministers, C. Byre Gowda, P.G.R. Sindhia, B. Somashekar, M.P. Prakash, and B.N. Bachche Gowda.

All the senior JD(U) leaders would like to head the State unit, since in the event of the unified Janata Dal winning the Legislative Assembly elections, the president of the party would stand a good chance of becoming the Chief Minister. While most of the JD(U) leaders have reportedly hobnobbed with Mr. Deve Gowda for plum positions, only Mr. Somashekar has stayed clear of the machinations. He even kept out of Mr. Deve Gowda's campaign in the Kanakapura byelection and also from the electioneering in the byelection from the Narasimharaja Assembly Constituency where the JD(S) fielded a candidate with the support of the JD(U).

Some of the senior JD(U) leaders told The Hindu here today that the merger with the JD(S) was still a distant dream and may never come about given the "inconsistent stance" of the former Prime Minister, who heads the JD(S) at the national level. "He is a person who at one stage demanded that the JD(U) should come out of the National Democratic Alliance if it was interested in a merger with the JD(S). However, during the run-up to the Kanakapura byelection which he won thanks to JD(U) support, Mr. Deve Gowda stated that the JD(S) would proceed with the merger formalities since the State unit of the JD(U) was not part of the NDA."

The JD(U) leaders are of the opinion that the merger of the two factions of the Janata Dal would be foolproof only if there was a one-to-one discussion between Mr. Deve Gowda and the JD(U) supremo, Ramakrishna Hegde.

However, the two leaders have moved apart after the Kanakapura byelection. Their animosity was such that the JD(S), in the recent elections to the Legislative Council, even contemplated extending support to an independent candidate, Vatal Nagaraj, if the JD(U) fielded a candidate selected by Mr. Hegde. Thanks to the powerful JD(U) legislators' lobby from Belgaum backing S.L. Khot, the JD(S) fell in line and extended support.

The JD(U) leaders said they wanted to maintain their party identity for the present. "Mr. Deve Gowda has no clear political ideology and is, at times, quixotic. Hence, we are scared to join hands with him. At public meetings in Mysore, he said he would extend all possible support to the minorities. In recent days, he has again changed colour and has refused to extend support to the presidential candidature of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who has been backed by the NDA, the Congress and several other major political parties.

Instead of falling in line with the mainstream, Mr. Deve Gowda has gone with the Communist parties. With such an inconsistent stand, how can the Janata Dal fight elections?" they wonder.

The senior Vice-President of the JD(U), Pradeep Kumar Reddy, told The Hindu that the leaders should sink their differences if they were serious about a merger of the two factions. However, JD(U) workers would not give up their self-respect in the name of merger. "The workers will only go by the decision of Mr. Hegde and other senior leaders. None can split the unity of the JD(U)," he said.

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