PATNA: A slogan on social justice used by JD(U) national president and MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh has sent rumour mills rolling about the possibility of a merger of the RJD and JD(U) in the near future.
Speculations about the RJD-JD(U) merger have been making the rounds ever since RJD’s national executive authorised party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his deputy chief minister son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav to take any significant decision on the party’s name, symbol and other policy related issues.
However, Singh’s slogan of social justice on his social media account on Monday only strengthened the possibility. “All of us will make Bihar a developed state by accelerating the pace of development with a focus on social justice,” he posted.
Though senior leaders from both the parties are exercising restraint on the issue, it is believed that they are working behind the scenes to make preparations for the merger. It is also said that before the JD(U) decided to join hands with RJD to form a new government in August this year, both Lalu and Chief Miniser Nitish Kumar had decided to merge both parties and float a new political entity with a new name and symbol.
The phrase ‘social justice’ was used by former prime minister VP Singh while announcing his decision to implement the Mandal Commission’s recommendations, and the slogan was adopted by RJD when it broke away from Janata Dal in 1997. Since then RJD has been pursuing its politics by raising the slogan of social justice on all public platforms.
JD(U) was formed with the merger of George Fernandes-led Samata Party and Sharad Yadav-led Janata Dal in 2003. Nitish in subsequent years improved his political prospects by raising the slogan of ‘development with justice’. Both RJD and JD(U) have pursued their political agenda separately by raising their respective slogans and they stuck to them even when they contested the 2015 Bihar Assembly election together and won with a thumping majority.
With the merger, RJD and JD(U) will have a strong number in the Assembly and BJP cannot split the new entity even through its best efforts. JD(U) is particularly more vulnerable to the split as it has only 45 MLAs. Nitish can also stake claim to the Prime Minister’s post with the new political party having more number of MPs, and Tejashwi can look forward to being elevated to the CM’s post following the merger. If the merger really happens, Nitish in all probability will move to national politics. Political observers say that the merger will consolidate, at least 50-60% of the voters in favour of this new entity.