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I won't rest till BJP is defeated: Laloo

By Our Special Correspondent

BHIMARAYANAGUDI (GULBARGA DIST.) FEB. 22. Laloo Prasad Yadav, MP and president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), today reiterated that he would not rest until he brought all secular forces, including the Congress, under one umbrella, to defeat the BJP in the general elections.

Addressing a well-attended divisional-level conference of the All India Janata Dal (AIJD) here, Mr. Yadav said the different wings of the Sangh Parivar and the BJP were the number-one enemy of the country and all secular forces should strive to form a front with a common minimum agenda of defeating the BJP.

He said that he had held discussions in this regard with parties, including the Congress, the AIJD, the CPI (M), the CPI, the Samajwadi Party, the National Congress Party, and the Janata Dal (S). Mr. Yadav said contacts had been established with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). He was confident of weaning away some of the NDA members.

Lashing out at the BJP and the Sangh Parivar for raising the bogey of communalism and the Ram temple issue whenever there was an election round the corner, Mr. Yadav said the Parivar was trying to divert the attention of the people from the real issues affecting them.

It was unfortunate that the problems faced by farmers, workers and the growing unemployment and shrinking employment avenues in the industrial sector because of automation and advent of IT-based industries and the rise in the prices of the petroleum products were being sidelined.

Later, Mr. Yadav told presspersons that although the chances of merger of the Janata Dal parties had diminished, there was a possibility of the Janata Parivar joining the secular front to fight the BJP.

However, he made it clear that he was in support of the inclusion of the Congress in the front and the RJD openly extended support to the Congress in the just-concluded Gujarat elections and was now backing the party in its fight against the BJP in Himachal Pradesh.

The RJD would support the Congress in the ensuing Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other States.

Asked whether he would tour Himachal Pradesh to campaign for the Congress, Mr. Yadav quipped: "Even without my presence the Congress is winning and I have not yet decided on whether to tour Himachal Pradesh or not and if there is a need for it, I will definitely make it to Himachal Pradesh," he said.

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