Janata Dal(U), a key partner in the Congress-led UDF in Kerala, today accused the local Congress leadership of being responsible for the defeat of the party candidates in the May 16 assembly polls this year.
A JD(U) state committee meeting here observed that it was due to the 'laziness' on the part of local Congress leaders and workers that the party suffered a blow in the polls.
It noted that a committee appointed by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee to study the reasons for UDF's pathetic performance in the elections had found that Congress leaders were responsible for the JD(U) candidates' defeat.
"However, the Congress leadership has not taken any action against those leaders found responsible for the defeat of the party in the assembly polls," JD(U) said and blamed the KPCC leadership for its inaction against the errant leaders.
The party cited the JD(U) candidate's defeat in Nemom assembly constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district and said strong action should be taken against those local Congress leaders who have been found guilty by the KPCC panel.
"The KPCC panel's report should be made available to us. An urgent meeting of UDF should be convened to discuss the issue," JD(U) state general-secretary Varghese George told reporters after the state committee meeting.
If the state Congress leadership had taken action against its leaders responsible for the JD(U) candidate's defeat in Palakkad constituency in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, such a situation would not have been repeated in the just-concluded assembly polls, JD(U) leaders said.
Nitish Kumar, who was the face of the coming together of
secular forces to defeat the BJP and RSS, would try to expand the party in other states, he said.
Asked that coming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh would be the first major event for Kumar as the JD(U) chief, Tyagi said Kumar was making all efforts to bring together non-BJP forces on one platform, but the two major parties in most populous state SP and BSP are not responding positively.
"SP and BSP are not responding positively to efforts to bring all non-BJP parties at one platform in UP. They are maintaining a distance from other secular forces which might give advantage to BJP," Tyagi, who hails from UP, said.
"Ideally the SP and BSP should have come together like the JD-U and RJD did in Bihar to defeat the BJP and RSS in UP," he said.
The party general secretary, however, said JD(U) with RLD of Ajit Singh and other parties like one floated by rebel BSP leader R K Chaudhary is trying to strengthen secular forces in the UP.
"We will not create any hurdles in the way of SP of Mulayam Singh Yadav or BSP of Mayawati in UP poll," he added.
Over 170 delegates from 23 states adopted political and economic resolutions at the national council meet. Former JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav, former union minister M P Veerendra Kumar were among those present in the meet.
Kumar would speak tomorrow in the open session which would be attended among others by former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi.
Asked that some JD(U) leaders from other states who have been kicked out from the party on charge of indiscipline have threatened to move to courts against Kumar's appointment as the party president, Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan said they have been expelled from the party and hence have no ground to challenge the appointment.
The JD-U national council expressed its deep concern on Pakistan sponsored terrorist attacks, particularly the large loss of lives of the country's soldiers in Pathankot and Uri.
"Our party has congratulated the central government and our brave armed forces for the surgical strike of September 29. The fight against terrorism represents a national resolve and should not become a subject for internal politics. Equally, all attempts should be made to restore peace and normalcy in Kashmir," read the resolution adopted in JD(U) national council meet.
(Reopens CAL4)
Asked about JD(U)'s stand on triple talaq, Tyagi said,
"Our veteran leader George Fernandes and others have always said it should be debated by people of that community.
"JD(U) is against the efforts of the BJP to bring a uniform civil code keeping in view UP election," he said.
Tyagi also slammed the BJP for making efforts to "bring back" the Ayodhya issue to derive political mileage in UP Assembly polls.
"One BJP MP has talked about making a more effective surgical strike in Ayodhya," he said but refused to name the MP.
Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP for not fulfilling promises made during 2014 parliamentary polls, Tyagi said, "The country only witnessed divisive efforts like ghar wapsi, love jehad and kairana among others."
"Today with the imminent elections in UP, the BJP has revived the issue of uniform civil code to deliberately polarise society for electoral gains. It is raising the Ayodhya issue for the same reason.
"And in Jammu amd Kashmir it is creating doubts about continued validity of Article 370. These retrograde steps are a serious threat to the nation's unity," the JD(U) resolution said.
Tyagi said the national council has authorised Nitish Kumar to choose national executive members, appoint adhoc committees in states and bring some changes in party constitution.
The JD(U) economic resolution said, "The most obvious failure of the BJP government is on economic front. Its elitist economic model openly supports crony capitalism. The central government's claim of over 7 per cent GDP is nowhere visible on the ground. Exports are falling, industrial production is down, manufacturing sector is declining, the banking sector is in a mess and unemployment is growing."
The resolution said the JD(U) was opposed to the BJP government's attempt to introduce genetically modified (GM) seeds including most recently for GM mustard.
