The six parties, which are proposing to merge, are the Uttar Pradesh-based Samajwadi Party, the Bihar-focused Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Samajwadi Party, Karnataka’s Janata Dal (Secular) and the Haryana-based Indian National Lok Dal. Together these parties have won 15 seats in the last year’s Lok Sabha polls.
The Parivar includes a former Prime Minister, a chief minister, a former chief minister and some high profile leaders. Samajwadi Party is in power in UP while JD(U) is ruling Bihar currently. It is to take on the Prime Minister Modi and the growing strength of the BJP, which has made these leaders claim their common heritage.
Interestingly there is a saying that the Janata Parivar can neither remain together for long and also cannot remain without each other for long. Now the time for unity has come but they have only pockets of influence in states like UP, Bihar, Haryana and Karnataka.
Earlier, these followers of Ram Manohar Lohia and his socialist ideals had come together on an anti-Congress platform. Ironically, this time they are coming together on an anti-BJP platform. The Congress could be an ally in the ensuing Assembly elections. It is to be seen whether this experiment will help the revival of the Congress, which is lying low after its rout in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the subsequent Assembly elections to Haryana. Maharashtra, Delhi and Jharkhand.
Two of the erstwhile Janata Parivar – the RLD chief Ajit Singh and the BJD chief Naveen Patnaik are not on board so far. The BJD is in power in Odisha. While Ajit Singh, whose party is strong in Western U.P is reluctant to share the platform with the INLD, which also represents Jats, Naveen Patnaik is cautious not to rush. They might join if they find the experiment successful.
Providing an alternative to the BJP may be difficult unless these leaders put aside their personal egos and put up a united fight. The earlier efforts to form a third front like the UNPA did not take off because of the ego clash.
Secondly, the time is very short for the new party to perform even in Bihar. Next year UP might go for polls. The BJP got a massive majority in UP and Bihar and it is these two states the new outfit should concentrate if they want to show results.
Thirdly, their track record shows that the Janata Parivar had not been able to survive for more than two or three years even though they came back to unite later.
Fourthly, these leaders have come a long way form the eighties when they were twenty years younger and more energetic. They were able to build some euphoria when they floated their own outfits. Today they are tried and tested leaders. Some like Nitish Kumar have given good governance and others have not. For instance Lalu has not got any kudos in Bihar for governance. Mulayam Singh regime also earned the name of “Goonda raj.”
The vote share of the RJD and JD(U) in Bihar, SP in Uttar Pradesh, INLD in Haryana and JD(S) in Karnataka has declined significantly during the last decade. The JD(S) presence remains limited to the southern Karnataka. Moreover most of them like Lalu, Mulayam Singh and Chautala are facing corruption charges.
On the positive side, the advantage of this new Janata Parivar is its vast social base and if they are able to exploit it then it can challenge the BJP. But for that the pre requisite is the solid leadership. The Janata and Janata Dal experiment collapsed mainly because of the leadership dispute. While Lalu is willing to accept Mulayam as the leader of this new experiment he is silent about Nitish Kumar’s leadership in Bihar.
The immediate test can be in Bihar where the RJD and the JD (U) can fight on a single party name and symbol. If the Congress and the left parties join their efforts, then the anti – BJP votes will not be divided. They had already shown in the last year’s bye- elections by defeating the BJP candidates. The two leaders together can take on Modi in public discourse.
On the whole the new experiment can succeed only if the anti BJP votes are not divided and the opposition fights BJP in a united manner. (IPA Service)
India
IS JANATA PARIVAR MERGER SUSTAINABLE?
ANTI-BJP FRONT TO LEAD THE SECULAR BATTLE
Kalyani Shankar - 2015-04-09 16:34
The erstwhile Janata Parivar is getting ready to merge again. In the next few days the Samajwadi Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is to announce its name and the symbol etc. as the six parties, which are proposing to unite have already sorted the modalities. In fact, this will be their third avatar after the Janata experiment of 1977 and the Janata dal experiment of 1989. Mulayam Singh Yadav, Deve Gowda, Nitish Kumar, Sharad Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav had been a part of the Janata Party or the JP movement that preceded it, or both and were also in Janata Dal. Each formed the breakaway parties and achieved some electoral success in their pockets of influence. The question is whether this experiment will succeed and the Janata Parivar will be able to make an impact in the national political scene.