Invite Laloo For July 25 Meet: Rjd

The Rashtriya Janata Dal wants that party supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav should be invited to the July 25 meeting of the United Fronts steering committee. The issue of RJDs entry into the coalition is expected to be decided during the meeting.

In a letter to front convenor N Chandrababu Naidu, Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said the decision should be an `ex-parte one, and warned that taking a decision without consulting Laloo Yadav would further complicate matters.

United Front sources, however, said Laloo Yadav had not been invited to the July 25 meeting expected to also decide the fronts candidate for the vice-presidents election on August 16.

Virtually making out a case for the RJDs entry into the front, Singh recalled that the party firmly believed in the common minimum programme, and had extended full support to Prime Minister I K Gujral. He recalled that Laloo Yadav was one of the founders of the United Front.

There was a controversy over the fronts standing committee taking a decision on the issue at its meeting on July 17.

According to Singh, it was beyond the committees jurisdiction to expel the RJD. At best, it could have made a recommendation to the steering committee, he said.

Singh said some leaders of the front had independently made statements to the effect that no decision on RJDs expulsion was taken by the standing committee, and that a final decision would be taken by the steering committee on July 25.

He recalled that leaders had been demanding Laloo Yadavs resignation in the wake of his chargesheet in the fodder scam, but he had turned down the suggestion on the ground that the court was yet to take cognisance of the chargesheet.

The status of the chargesheet against him is the same as it was prior to the split in the Janata Dal but due to excessive hue and cry being made by some leaders, the issue of Yadavs resignation from chief ministership has acquired a prime position, Singh wrote to Naidu.

I would like to indicate that so far Yadav has neither refused to go by any decision of the UF nor has any final decision in this context been taken by the steering committee, the letter said.