NEW DELHI (PTI): Janata Dal (A) Stalwart Rasheed Masood has questioned the party’s merger with Congress-I and decided to retain the party’s identity in the lower house of Indian Parliament the Lok Sabha.
Masood known to be a close aide of party supremo Ajit Singh was on a Imp to the gulf countries when Ajit Singh announced the party’s merger with Congress last week to give the prime minister a simple seniority.
Masood and two other’s DEA) members of the Lok Sabha said here last week that they have decided to retain the party’s identity in the house and would write to the speaker on the same issue. Masood who is calling a national convention of like-minded party leaders here in February first week to chalk out the future course of action maintained that Ajit Singh had no right to merge the party with Congress(I) on his own
He said among the options open to his group were to cither join the Samajwadi (socialist) party headed by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav or the Janata Dal headed by S.R.Bommai. .
He said he was also not in a hurry to affect any split in the Janata Dal legislature party in Uttar Pradesh which was supporting the Mulayam Singh government.
Masood said he would call an informal meeting of Janata Dal legislators from western Uttar Pradesh (Ajit Singhs stronghold) this week and MLAs from other parts later for consultations.
Masood a former federal minister at the center said he and his group of MPs and MLAs in Uttar Pradesh would try to strengthen secular forces and those ranged against the present economic policies of the Congress (I).
Article extracted from this publication >>
