A Political Merger of Desperation

The so-called merger of the offshoots of the erstwhile Janata Parivar has attracted more attention than it deserves. They came together to form an entity that has no name but a common flag. Except for the alignment in Bihar of Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the rest of the pack in the alliance have not gone for a meaningful tie-up. The pact, it seems, is an outcome of political desperation on the part of these outfits.

The parties—the JD-U, RJD, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal, Indian National Lok Dal and Samajwadi Janata Party—had initially reached an understanding on naming the new entity the Samajwadi Janata Dal, and on accepting the SP symbol, the bicycle, as their joint insignia. But JD-U leaders changed their mind later, after JR Manjhi, the former Chief Minister of Bihar—who broke away from the JD-U to float his own outfit—said he would claim the flag and symbol of the parent organisation for his own party.

Janata Dal-UnitedJanata ParivarMulayam Singh YadavRashtriya Janata Dal