Southern States - Karnataka   

Lust for power split JD: Ramesh Kumar

By Our Special Correspondent

SHIMOGA July 26. The leader of the All-India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD) and former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Ramesh Kumar, said here on Saturday that it was personal prestige and lust for power that led to the split in the Janata Dal.

Addressing party workers, he said the leaders would realise their folly and strive for the merger of all JD groups as this was vital for the country's progress.

He made it clear that the party workers were in no way responsible for the division in the party, and that it was the false prestige of leaders which was hampering the merger process.

Mr. Kumar said the JD groups were passing through a critical phase, and the only way to overcome difficulties was for the leaders to resolve their differences and work for the unity of the JD.

He said the people were not interested in religious and caste politics, and middlemen were driving a wedge between one community and another to serve their personal interests.

The President of the Shimoga unit of the AIPJD, V. Raju, said that the party's workers would tour the district to organise workers at all levels.

The Vice President of the State unit of the AIPJD, G. Basavannappa, was among those present.

`It is up to leaders'

Addressing presspersons, Mr. Ramesh Kumar said only a united Janata Dal could provide a viable alternative to the Congress in the State. However, it was not possible to say when the JD groups would merge though talks were going on in the right direction.

Asked whether the merger was possible before August-end, which had been fixed as the deadline, he said it had not been possible to meet the deadlines set earlier. The merger largely depended on whether the top-level leaders of each JD group were able to overcome personal suspicions and dissatisfaction. It was difficult to predict the individual temperament of leaders, he added.

Asked whether it was the prestige of the leaders that affected the merger process, he said: "You may call it prestige or jealousy, though none of them can provide charismatic leadership.'' Unlike in the Congress, "where the party members are like employees", the leaders of the JD groups considered themselves powerful though they did not have an effective hold over the communities they represented.

Mr. Kumar said that the outcome of the coming Assembly elections in the four northern States would be a key factor in deciding whether the Lok Sabha would be dissolved before the expiry of its term. If the Lok Sabha was dissolved, the Legislative Assembly in Karnataka was likely to be dissolved and elections held simultaneously.

He denied that the opposition by a section of AIPJD leaders to Vijay Mallya of the Janata Party was coming in way of the merger process.

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