The merger of the Janata Parivar at the national level on Wednesday seems to have left several Janata Dal (S) leaders, including State president H.D. Kumaraswamy wary of the future. Speaking to The Hindu over phone from Mysuru, Mr. Kumaraswamy said: “We don’t want a merger that facilitates other national leaders to dictate terms to us,” adding that he wanted the merger, but not for immediate benefit.
“However, the merger will help in getting rid of the blemish of being dubbed as a father-son party,” he said, admitting that there is a need for the third force in the country, considering the fate of the Congress and behaviour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the last eight months. Sources added that a large section of the party feels it should retain its identity, as they do not have faith in the leaders of north India, considering their behaviour on earlier occasions.
When asked about former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s position on this, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he did not know anything about it. “Nobody, including our president, discussed the issue with us,” he said. He also said the merger would not help the party in the State, as the JD(U) unit in the State has lost its relevance in politics. “JD(S) has to fight its own battle to come to power and a merger will not make any major difference,” he said.
We don’t want a merger that facilitates other national leaders to dictate terms to us
H.D. KumaraswamyJD(S) State unit president
