Date:21/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/21/stories/2008072156191200.htm

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JD(U) is together, says Sharad Yadav

Aarti Dhar

Sharad Yadav

NEW DELHI: The Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav on Sunday played down reports of “slipping away” of two of its MPs – Pookunhi Koya (Lakshadweep) and Ramswaroop Prasad (Nalanda) – and said the party was together.

“The JD(U) numbers will not be reduced, though they can go up,” he told reporters at the end of the two-day national executive meeting of party. He did not name the MPs who wanted to join his party. The party has eight MPs in the Lok Sabha.

“If any JD(U) MP breaks away, appropriate action would be taken after the voting,” he said when it was pointed out that the two MPs had openly voiced dissent and did not attend the national executive. “Both of them will be here tomorrow,” he said.

Describing most of the “movements” (by MPs and MLAs) as routine, often witnessed before the elections, Mr. Yadav said these were people seeking a secure future for themselves. “Of course, there are those who are always on sale. But these are aberrations and such people are very few in number. He accused the Congress of setting a bad trend by “approaching” the members individually for support unlike earlier when the MPs used to go to the larger parties for help.

On the prospect of the BSP supremo Mayawati emerging as the Third Front leader with the prospect of becoming the Prime Minister with the support of the Left parties and the United National Progressive Alliance, Mr. Yadav said if the government lost the trust motion on July 22 general election was inevitable. “The Third Front had sunk when the JD(U) weakened. The present set-up is a conglomerate of political parties with a one-point agenda of pulling down the government on the nuclear deal,” he said.