Nitish-led JD-U back in NDA; blames Congress for alliance failure

Party said it will take action against Sharad Yadav if he attends Lalu Yadav's August 27 rally. M I Khan reports from Patna.

The Janata Dal-United, headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has officially joined Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.

The party passed a resolution at its national executive meeting in this regard.

"A resolution in this regard was unanimously approved in the national executive meeting of the party," a seenior JD-U leader said.

He said that JD-U's national general secretary K C Tayagi moved a resolution to join the NDA that was approved in the meeting.

Making the announcement, party leader K C Tyagi categorically denied that there was any split in the party following differences with senior leader Sharad Yadav.

"The JD-U national executive meeting chaired by party president Nitish Kumar approved a resolution to become part of the NDA," the principal general secretary told reporters.

The national executive also put its seal of approval on the Bihar JD-U's unit decision to walk out of the Grand Alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress and join hands with the BJP to form a government in Bihar, Tyagi said.

"BJP president Amit Shah during a meeting with our (JD-U) president Nitish Kumar recently had urged him to bring the JD-U into the NDA. The national executive committee approved it and now we have become part of NDA," Tyagi said.

The BJP president welcomed the decision of the JD-U and said it heralded a 'new era of development' in the state.

"I welcome the JD-U decision of joining NDA, as this will not only strengthen the NDA but will also begin a new era of development and growth in Bihar," Shah said.

The party's national executive was held on Saturday at 1, Anne Marg in Patna, official residence of the CM.

Most of the JD-U leaders, including 70 MLAs of the party, two Lok Sabha MPs and seven Rajya Sabha MPs participated in the meet.

Flanked by the party's senior leaders R C P Singh, Harbansh and Pawan Varma among others, Tyagi denied that there was any split in the party.

"Party mein koi division nahi hua hai (there has been no division in the party)," Tyagi said while addressing a press conference in Patna after the conclusion of national executive meeting.

Tyagi said heads of the party's 16 different committees are with Kumar.

He said in Bihar, all 71 party MLAS, 30 MLCs and two Lok Sabha MPs and most of Rajya Sabha MPs are with Kumar, except Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar.

"So how can there be split in JD(U)?" he asked.

However, Tyagi said that party has not acted against Sharad Yadav for his anti-party activities.

"But we will take action against him after August 27 if he attends (Rashtriya Janata Dal chief) Lalu Prasad Yadav's rally in Patna," he said.

The JD-U will hold an open session during the day in which Nitish Kumar would be present.

Sharad Yadav skipped the national executive committee meeting and attended a parallel programme, Jan Adalat, of those loyal to him, including suspended JD-U Rajya Sabha MP Ali Anwar Ansari.

The programme promised to continue with the Grand Alliance.

Yadav, who was sacked as JD-U's Rajya Sabha leader said that JD-U is his party and that the grand alliance remains intact.

"We promised to continue this alliance for at least five years. The public gave us opportunity. The manifesto is our commitment for five years. The people of Bihar vested faith in us. I am not happy with alliance breaking," he said during Jan Adalat programme in Patna.

Yadav launched a veiled attack at the JD-U faction led by Nitish Kumar and said he contributed in forming the party and now he was being asked to leave it.

"I formed the party and some people are telling me that this is not my home. People are raising questions over my intention. I went to attend JD-U's national executive committee meeting but they didn't allow me to participate and said that I don't belong to their party," he added.

Yadav, who is miffed with Nitish Kumar for severing ties with grand alliance and joining hands with the BJP, had earlier called for a convention 'Sanjhi Virasat Bachao' in Delhi on Thursday with an aim to safeguard the 'composite culture' of India.

Sharad Yadav fell out with Nitish Kumar over his decision to walk out the Grand Alliance.

The national executive meeting also came down heavily on the Congress.

The JD-U, in its political resolution, said the party had played a 'positive role' in forming the Grand Alliance by lowering the number of its seats and it even gave 41 seats to the Congress in the 2015 Bihar assembly polls.

'This (Congress) is the same party, the number of whose members had dwindled to four in the 2010 Bihar Assembly polls,' the resolution said.

It added that through the Bihar model of alliance, the JD-U had tried to facilitate an 'alternative thinking' in the country.

'After Bihar, in the Assam election, the JD-U worked for a shared alternative...But, the Congress perennially remained inactive and indifferent, despite the fact that the AGP (Asom Gana Parishad) and the UDF (United Democratic Front) were active with the JD-U,' it said.

It was observed at the meeting that despite the sincere efforts from 2015 to 2017, it had become clear that the Congress 'neither had the capacity nor the interest' in forging an opposition unity.

The meeting also said that the Congress, in the past, had initially supported the governments of Charan Singh, Chandrasekhar, H D Deve Gowda and I K Gujral at the Centre but later, withdrew its support and toppled them.

'It (Congress) has never made an honest attempt to forge a national unity based on alternative policies and programmes, nor does it think of it,' it observed.

With inputs from PTI and ANI.