Simple math

As the Janata Parivar parties appeared all set to merge under the leadership of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies wasted no time in pooh-poohing the development. While BJP President Amit Shah summed up the impact as "zero plus zero is zero", party leader and former Cabinet minister Shahnawaz Hussain said, "The differences are clear before the formal merger. Even the sign name and symbol haven't been decided yet." Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ram Vilas Paswan retorted, "Even if a hundred lame persons come together they cannot become a wrestler", and ruled out any adverse impact on the prospective alliance between his Lok Janshakti Party and the BJP in the coming Assembly elections in Bihar.