ET BureauIs the merger of the Janata parivar on the backburner?
Ram Gopalji has talked about technical issues and they have to be discussed. I will be meeting Mulayam Singhji shortly in Delhi. Also, I will be meeting Sharadji and Nitish Kumar, if there is time.
Are you not keen on the merger?
I have never said anything against the merger. But if Ram Gopalji has said something, we need to discuss those things. In any case, it has to be a collective effort to unite anti-BJP forces for the elections in Bihar. I am committed to it and it is going to be genuine effort on my part so that a broad and comprehensive unity among the secular forces is reached. But others will also have to reciprocate with sincerity.
Will you have an alliance with JD(U) if the merger does not work?
Our effort should be to unite secular forces. I will also like former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi to join us.
Will RJD be happy to project Nitish Kumar as the CM candidate?
The leadership question has not yet come up for discussion. When talks have not yet started, how can there be a discussion on leadership?
With polls slated for September-October, don’t you think the merger has to be done at the earliest?
BJP is done and dusted. On what basis will people vote for BJP after seeing its performance in the first year? In the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, it had made false and lofty promises, which it has failed to deliver even after a year.
Is one year enough to judge a government?
The saying goes ‘morning gives indication of the day.’ The BJP government’s performance will be no different in the remaining tenure. The PM is more interested in his own dress code and touring abroad. The ‘pradhan mantri’ has become ‘paridhan mantri’. The land acquisition bill is being amended for capitalists. Let them acquire land in Chambal valley, if they want to set up industries. BJP said that 26 lakh crore black money stashed in foreign banks will be brought back in a month. It has completed a year but has failed to deliver on the promise of depositing s 15.5 lakh each in individual bank accounts of 125 crore Indians. The BJP-led government has cheated people. It wanted to build Shanghai and smart cities but where is the money?
Ram Gopalji has talked about technical issues and they have to be discussed. I will be meeting Mulayam Singhji shortly in Delhi. Also, I will be meeting Sharadji and Nitish Kumar, if there is time.
Are you not keen on the merger?
I have never said anything against the merger. But if Ram Gopalji has said something, we need to discuss those things. In any case, it has to be a collective effort to unite anti-BJP forces for the elections in Bihar. I am committed to it and it is going to be genuine effort on my part so that a broad and comprehensive unity among the secular forces is reached. But others will also have to reciprocate with sincerity.
Will you have an alliance with JD(U) if the merger does not work?
Our effort should be to unite secular forces. I will also like former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi to join us.
Will RJD be happy to project Nitish Kumar as the CM candidate?
The leadership question has not yet come up for discussion. When talks have not yet started, how can there be a discussion on leadership?
With polls slated for September-October, don’t you think the merger has to be done at the earliest?
BJP is done and dusted. On what basis will people vote for BJP after seeing its performance in the first year? In the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, it had made false and lofty promises, which it has failed to deliver even after a year.
Is one year enough to judge a government?
The saying goes ‘morning gives indication of the day.’ The BJP government’s performance will be no different in the remaining tenure. The PM is more interested in his own dress code and touring abroad. The ‘pradhan mantri’ has become ‘paridhan mantri’. The land acquisition bill is being amended for capitalists. Let them acquire land in Chambal valley, if they want to set up industries. BJP said that 26 lakh crore black money stashed in foreign banks will be brought back in a month. It has completed a year but has failed to deliver on the promise of depositing s 15.5 lakh each in individual bank accounts of 125 crore Indians. The BJP-led government has cheated people. It wanted to build Shanghai and smart cities but where is the money?
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