Coming together to pay tribute to freedom fighter and veteran socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan, Opposition leaders on Wednesday called for unity among “secular” parties to defeat the BJP in the next general elections. They said democracy was as much under threat now as it was during the Emergency.
Janata Dal(U) rebel leader Sharad Yadav and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury underlined the need for Opposition parties to work towards maximum possible unity if “complete unity” was not possible.
During the presidential election, while all Opposition parties had come together, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar supported NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind. Mr. Kumar eventually joined hands with the BJP.
“Uniting Opposition parties to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will be the biggest tribute to JP,” Mr. Yadav said at the event to commemorate Narayan's 115th birth anniversary.
Emergency threats
JP had led Opposition parties against the Indira Gandhi-led Congress, leading to the rout of her party in the 1977 Lok Sabha elections, held after she lifted the Emergency.
The dangers that existed for the country during the Emergency have again come up and, in fact, the situation is more dire currently, Mr. Yechury said, adding that Narayan stood for freedom, democracy and development and all three were under “threat” now.
Mr. Yechury said there was anger in all sections of society against the Modi government and it was the right time for “secular” parties to unite if India had to be “saved”. The main aim of the BJP and its ideological mentor, RSS, is to turn India into a “Hindu rashtra” and they will resort to dividing society on communal lines to win in 2019, he said.
Mr. Yechury and Mr. Yadav lashed out at the government over its execution of demonetisation and the GST.
Mr. Yadav also agreed with the view of Shanti Bhushan, who was Law Minister in the Janata Party government formed in 1977, that a divided Opposition was the only hope for the BJP to win in the next Lok Sabha polls as different sections of society were upset with it.
This country was ruled by a leader who believed its problems could be solved by good speeches, Mr. Bhushan earlier said.
