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March 13, 2000
NEWSLINKS
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The Rediff Interview/ Sharad Yadav'I made no reference to Bihar or any political development in the state'The Telugu Desam party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu did it first. Then Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav reportedly became the second National Democratic Alliance leader to criticise Bihar Governor Vinod Chandra Pande's decision to summon Nitish Kumar to form the government in Bihar. And this has ominous implications for the NDA's unity. According to newspaper reports, both Naidu and Yadav felt that the largest single party in Bihar (the Rashtriya Janata Dal) should have been invited to form the government instead of Nitish Kumar. rediff.com was curious to know why the JD(U) had backed its rival, the RJD, instead of the NDA, and so contacted Sharad Yadav's office. "Sharadji will be in Parliament this afternoon; you can contact him there," was the reply from his office. Yadav, the Union civil aviation minister, had put up a notice outside the Lok Sabha secretariat that he would speak on an important matter and that all reporters were welcome. "If you want to talk about my alleged statement pertaining to Bihar governor, attend my press conference, you will be in for a surprise," Yadav told this correspondent. It was after some persuasion that he agreed to talk about his 'reported statement', made at Jammu airport. But the reporters were in for a big disappointment if they thought he and his party were distancing themselves from the NDA. Excerpts from an interview with Tara Shankar Sahay.
Why did you say that Bihar Governor Vinod Pande had erred in calling NDA chief minister Nitish Kumar to form the government in the state? I made no much statement. It is a pure figment of [someone's] imagination. At Jammu airport, I made no reference to Bihar or any political development in the state. I must say that the reporter concerned must be having a fertile imagination. Then how did this controversial news item surface? It is your job to find out (laughs). A section of the press has carried this report attributing the statement to me and I categorically deny it. Anyway, what is your opinion about Governor Pande summoning Nitish Kumar to form the government? My opinion is the NDA's opinion -- that he was right. The NDA government headed by Nitish Kumar had submitted a list of 151 legislators. The RJD-led alliance had then only given the governor a list of 124 MLAs. In Delhi, I had said that the governor had called Nitish Kumar after three days, that is all. I had also said that it was the governor's job to ensure that a government is formed after determining which side has the largest number of legislators at its command. Could you outline your views on Nitish Kumar's resignation and the governor's invitation to Rabri Devi to form the government again this time around? The RJD-led alliance has been invited to form the government because of a fractured mandate in Bihar. That is the bottomline. That is why we in the NDA could not sustain the Nitish Kumar government. It is because of the Congress that the NDA government resigned. I must say that our assessment regarding the Congress was wrong. Also, the Rabri Devi government had better watch out because, in the current political scenario in Bihar, any government will find it difficult to sustain itself. What is Nitish Kumar's political future now that he is no more a Union minister and has also ceased to be the Bihar chief minister? That question should be directed to Nitish Kumar (laughs). But I think he will be the NDA chief minister in Bihar and not necessarily remain an NDA chief ministerial candidate. So would your party oppose if Nitish Kumar is once again declared the NDA's chief ministerial candidate? I did not say that, I am merely giving you an opinion some of us felt in the JD (U). Could you comment on your party's reported difference with the BJP leadership on the PDS foodgrain and urea price hike issue? The JD (U) is in the NDA and agrees with its agenda of governance. But what about the contention of your deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Devendra Prasad Yadav, that he would take the BJP to task if the prices aren't rolled back. Some of our members do express independent opinion sometimes and that is not unusual. |
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