Sharad Yadav announces meet to protect ‘composite culture’

Leaders from Congress, Left, RJD, SP expected to attend; Nitish faction to stay away

JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav addresses a media conference in New Delhi on Wednesday.

 

Janata Dal (United) dissident Sharad Yadav said on Wednesday that he would organise a programme on Thursday in defence of the composite culture of India, which was the Constitution’s “soul”.

While he did not spell out who would participate in it, there are expectations that leaders of the Congress and the Left would be present. Leaders from across the Opposition have been invited for the event.

Saying he would not take any political questions, Mr. Yadav told reporters that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has said that violence on grounds of faith is intolerable, should tell BJP State governments to take strict action against such incidents.

However, JD (U) leader K.C. Tyagi told The Hindu that the party would stay away from the event. “There will be many tainted leaders there. We will stay away from the event.”

‘Not against anyone’

Brushing aside questions linking his event to his recent falling apart with Nitish Kumar after the Bihar Chief Minister again joined hands with the BJP, Mr. Yadav said,

“The ‘ sajha virasat bachao sammelan ‘ (save composite culture programme) is not against anybody, but in the interest of the country. This is in the interest of 125-crore people of the country,” he said.

He cited incidents such as the suicide of Rohith Vemula and the disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, besides suicides of farmers across the country, to suggest that the situation was tough for common citizens.

Sources said invites had been sent to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad among others in the Congress, Sitaram Yechury of the CPI(M), Lalu Prasad of the RJD, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, besides others.

Meanwhile, marking the fact that the two factions within the JD(U) have little meeting ground left, the party is expected to pass a resolution in its national executive on August 19 to formally join the NDA at the national level — a step that may culminate in a ministerial berth for it at the Centre.

(With PTI inputs)