The Hindu : Mulayam invited to join NDA

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 10, 2004

National

National

Mulayam invited to join NDA

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, JAN. 9. The convener of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and president of the Janata Dal (U), George Fernandes, today extended an open invitation to the Samajwadi Party leader, Mulayam Singh Yadav, to join the NDA "and contribute in the task of nation-building." Mr. Yadav had met Mr. Fernandes here a few days ago.

He also did not rule out the possibility of an NDA tie-up with the AIADMK for the Lok Sabha polls, though he said no steps had been taken in that direction so far. "The NDA has not taken any decision so far. No steps have been initiated for an alliance with the AIADMK and no talks have been held with the AIADMK leader, Jayalalithaa. But nothing can be said about the future," he said. Following the DMK pulling out of the NDA and its subsequent tie-up with the Congress in Tamil Nadu, there is speculation about a possible AIADMK alliance with the NDA.

`Paswan welcome too'

Replying to questions at a press conference here today, Mr. Fernandes said he would be happy to have Lok Janshakti leader, Ram Vilas Paswan, on board as part of his efforts to unite the Janata Dal and bring socialists together. Mr. Paswan, who is being wooed by the Congress and Laloo Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal as well, has not spelt out his mind so far. He will do so in February. Also present at the conference were the JD(U) parliamentary board chairman, Sharad Yadav, and the newly-appointed general secretaries.

Asked about his meeting with Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mr. Fernandes said there was no talk of unity. The meeting was regarding the late socialist leader, Ram Manohar Lohia and how to revive his ideology. He, however, said that when he had joined the NDA, several socialists including, Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, got upset and walked away. "Now he should come on board and contribute because the kind of work the NDA Government has done no other government has."

Mr. Fernandes declined to comment on Mr. Yadav's statement that he would accept him as a leader if he left the NDA, saying "I will not comment on that."

On the allegation that his support to the BJP had helped strengthen RSS stranglehold on the Government, he said, "There is no such thing as RSS in the Government."

To another question, he said Lohia was not against the Hindu religion or Hindutva and even organised Ramayan-melas in Chitrakoot. "He had brought together all parties including the then Jan Sangh after the China war. That is why the Congress is where it is today." He alleged that the party had "destroyed" the country and said the country faced a bigger "threat" from the Congress than "communalism."

On the leadership issue, he said there was no comparison between Atal Behari Vajpayee and Sonia Gandhi. "He has been in public life for years and struggled politically to reach where he has."

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