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JD(U) vies for national status, opposition unity at national council meeting
The JD (U) in its national council and national executive meeting on Saturday downplayed its defeat in the recent Kurhani assembly bypoll, even as it seeks to secure the status of a national political party
The Janata Dal (United) in its national council and national executive meeting on Saturday downplayed its defeat in the recent Kurhani assembly by-poll, even as it seeks to secure the status of a national political party amid the larger goal of opposition unity in the 2024 general elections.
“We are hopeful of getting national status,” national principal general secretary K C Tyagi said. “The party is confident that Nitish Kumar would be successful in his mission 2024 by uniting the opposition ahead of Lok Sabha polls.”
Asked if Kumar will succeed in taking along opposition leaders such as Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress and Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party, Tyagi said, “The task is difficult, but not impossible. In Himachal Pradesh, no party contested against Congress, and the party won, but the same did not happen in Gujarat. Nitish Kumar, in his bid to unite the opposition, has made it clear that political untouchability has no place in move to unite opposition.”
Asked if All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Owaisi was cutting the opposition’s votes, the JD (U) leader said: “Owaisi vitiates the political atmosphere, which indirectly helps the Bharatiya Janata Party.”
Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, was elected as national president at the council meeting. The national executive will approve of it on Sunday. The JD (U) would attain the status of national party under Lalan Singh, Kumar said.
Kumar in his address to which meeting? asked his partymen not to lose heart with by-poll defeat. “One defeat should not demotivate us,” the Bihar chief minister said.
Party leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Ramnath Thakur, hoped that Kumar will start visiting other states in the party’s bid to unite the opposition and strengthen the party. The national executive meeting and the open session on Sunday is likely to discuss other issues, including better co-ordination between alliance partners and the by-poll result.
