Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday welcomed the move to merge Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and urged all opposition parties in the country to unite, adding that it is imperative for the opposition to prioritize unification to defeat the BJP.
Earlier in the day, former Union Minister Sharad Yadav merged his Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) headed by Lalu Prasad Yadav at the former’s residence in Delhi.
Commenting on the decision of both parties, Tejashwi Yadav said: “The decision (merging LJD into RJD) taken by Sharad Yadav was the demand of the people. It has sent other opposition parties the message that it is high time we united in 2019, but it’s better late than never.”
“What Sharad ji has done is now written forever. It’s great to see both brothers on stage together,” he said.
After announcing the merger of the two parties, Sharad Yadav said the move is the “first step towards (the formation of) a united opposition”.
“The merger of our party with the RJD is the first step towards forging the unity of the opposition. It is imperative that the entire opposition unite across India to defeat the BJP. lead,” he added.
Sharad Yadav had formed the LJD in 2018 after parting ways with Janata Dal (United) due to the party’s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata party.
The LJD has never fought an election since its inception, while its chief Sharad Yadav lost the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to Madhepura on the RJD ticket. Sharad Yadav was the Cabinet Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government in the Center.
The two frontrunners have come together after a 25-year hiatus. They had split up in 1997 when Lalu Prasad Yadav founded the RJD and Sharad Yadav launched the JD(U) together with Nitish Kumar.
Lalu Prasad Yadav was later convicted of the feeding scam.
He drove the ‘Mandal’ politics in the 1990s to dominate Bihar politics, in addition to playing a key role in national politics.
Following the merger between LJD and RJD, the RJD is likely to nominate Sharad Yadav to the Rajya Sabha in the biennial Senate polls scheduled for June.
This post Tejashwi Yadav welcomes LJD-RJD merger, calls for united opposition to defeat BJP
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