The Hindu : National : Mid-term polls imminent: JD(U)

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Monday, Oct 08, 2007
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Mid-term polls imminent: JD(U)

Sujay Mehdudia

Says Left parties should withdraw support

Sharad Yadav

NEW DELHI: The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday asserted that a mid-term election was imminent as the Congress had failed to adhere to the coalition dharma. It also charged the United Progressive Alliance with failure on all fronts.

“The Congress has even failed to run the coalition it had formed. The Left parties should not wait any longer. They should withdraw their outside support to the government,” party leader Sharad Yadav told journalists at the end of the two-day national executive meeting of the party here.

Mr. Yadav said the party would launch a nationwide movement against the UPA government to highlight its “anti-people” and “anti-farmer” policies. He asked the party workers to be ready for a mid-term election as the standoff between the Congress and Left parties on the nuclear deal with the United States was hardening.

Mr. Yadav said the Manmohan Singh government had failed to protect the interests of the common man and farmers. Its slogan of “aam aadmi” had taken a beating, thanks to the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, rising unemployment and the poor condition of farmers.

He said that while the Assembly elections were due in Gujarat, Nagaland and Tripura later this year, the possibility of mid-term polls in Karnataka and Jharkhand loomed large in view of the uncertain political atmosphere prevailing in the two States.

The party executive strongly opposed the nuclear deal and accused the Congress of violating coalition dharma.

Fernandes absent

Interestingly, Senior party leader and former Union Minister, George Fernandes, who is at loggerheads with Mr. Yadav, did not attend the meeting. The party put on record its appreciation of the functioning of the Nitish Kumar-led JD (U)-BJP government in Bihar.

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