New Delhi: Biology in school was quite a popular subject for some rather unfortunate reasons. But one of the key lessons learnt while studying evolution is a statement, Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. When broken down to its core idea, it means that history repeats itself.
In a move that echoes the same theory, the long-awaited merger of the offshoots of the erstwhile Janata Party is likely to take place on 15 April, just before the second half of the budget session.
In what should be a cause for concern to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the first item on the agenda after unification is the launch of a nationwide stir against proposed amendments to the land acquisition law, senior leaders of the six-party alliance said.
The six parties which make up the Janata parivar are the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP), Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S), former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Samajwadi Janata Party.
The nationwide protests against the amendment bill will cover Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Haryana—states where all the key constituents have a substantial support base.
The Janata Party was forged in 1977 to take on the Congress and it became the first non-Congress party to form a government at the centre.
The wheel has turned a full circle with the party being revived to take on the BJP, which has, after the 16th general election, emerged as the central pole of Indian politics.
“There is work going on to decide on the name of the formation and party symbol. The Election Commission of India will be approached in a few days and Mulayam Singh Yadav has been asked to make a formal announcement in Delhi once these legal issues are settled,†said a senior JD(U) leader who is involved in the talks.
The six-party group is also holding talks with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, smaller parties in Punjab and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu in order to hold similar protests in their states. Senior leaders of the group argue that they can stop the onward march of the NDA, which has won four out of five state assembly elections since the Lok Sabha polls last April.
“The six parties, along with some of the regional parties, can act as a pressure group on the government and stop it from bringing in bills like the land acquisition bill which will hurt the interest of the farmers. The unity of these six parties is of prime importance because only then can we counter the BJP,†the JD(U) leader added.
The impact of the merger and its talks with the Trinamool Congress, the DMK and in Punjab are also significant, as all these states are headed for fresh elections over the next two years.
“Talks are also being held about sharing of seats in Bihar between JD(U) and RJD. Although these two parties have traditionally been opponents in the state, both Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad have no option left but to come together to defeat the BJP,†said the leader.
Members are also keen to hold talks with the Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) who have support bases in West Bengal, Punjab and Bihar.
Political analysts feel the Janata parivar is only a conglomeration of parties which are coming together to defeat the BJP. They say that in the absence of an ideological compatibility between the six parties, they will find it difficult to survive as part of a single political outfit.
“Even as Janata parivar is relevant, it is mainly a conglomeration of parties with no or little ideological compatibility. These individual parties have very strong differences and it will be interesting to see how long they can stay together. Earlier, the Janata parivar had united against the Congress and now they have formed a group to defeat the BJP,†said Bidyut Chakrabarty, a New Delhi-based political analyst and professor of political science at Delhi University.
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