NEW DELHI: The Jan Morcha national convenor Ram Dhan denounced the expulsion of Arun Nehru Arif Mohd Khan and S$ P Malik from the Janata Dal and said honest difference of opinion or dissent could not be termed as anti-party activity.
He asked if expression of dissent amounted to anti-party activity then why was no action taken against Biju Patnaik Ajit Singh and George Femandes who had gone on record having criticized the Janata Dal leadership.
Ram Dhan told reporters that he had held a series of meetings with V P Singh and had warned him against pursuing personalized politics as such a course would prove “disastrous not only for the party but also for the nation as well”
Defending the stand taken by the three expelled Janata Dal leaders against V P Singh Ram Dhan said that Singh would not have got himself elected as leader of the Janata Dal legislature party but for the Jan Morcha groups support.
NEW DELHI-V P Singh’s Janata Dal virtually split Sunday with Arun Nehru and others deciding to revive the Jan Morcha (Peoples Front) and put up a symbolic fight in the coming elections by fielding Arif Mohammad Khan from Behraich in Uttar Pradesh.
The decision was announced at a hurriedly-summoned news conference at Nehrus house by Ram Dhan national convenor of the Morcha.
The Janata Dal leadership reacted cooly to the development saying it was an internal matter of the party and no comments would be offered.
Ram Dhan said Khan would contest on the platform of the Jan Morcha to “convey to the nation that his party’s policies are still relevant in today’s troubled situation.”
The decision of the erstwhile Jan Morcha leaders came after leaders belonging to the group decided not to contest the coming elections in protest against Mr V.P Singh’s attempts to “stifle” dissent in the party and promote “personality cult” All of them had also resigned their party posts.
Besides Mr Nehru and Mr Ram Dhan Mr Khan Mr Satpal Malik and Mr Dinesh Trivedi Rajya Sabha member were present
Nehru told the news conference the country had never voted on “caste and religious lines” during the last 40 years and would not do so in the next 100 years.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 26, 1991
