JD(U) Keeps Options Open on UCC, Dismisses RJD's Offer to Rejoin Hands
JD(U) says it will examine the UCC Bill before deciding its stand, shrugs off the RJD's invitation to Nitish Kumar, and will discuss a proposed party rename internally.
The Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday declined to commit itself either way on the Uniform Civil Code, saying it would first examine the legislation and raise any objections with the Union Home Minister before arriving at a party position.
Senior party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, regarded as close to JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, told reporters at the party's state headquarters in Patna that the party would study the provisions of the UCC and oppose them only if it found something objectionable. He said the form in which the Bill is presented matters, and that the party's national working president has already indicated that concerns, if any, would be taken up directly with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. A party meeting would follow, after which decisions would be taken.
Chaudhary, a former Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly, added that the party was not yet aware of the details of the proposed law and would prefer to see it placed before it first.
His remarks come amid an evident divergence within the ruling National Democratic Alliance in Bihar over the issue. A senior JD(U) leader, Shyam Rajak, asserted on September 14 that the UCC would not be implemented in the State under any circumstances. Other allies, including the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), have called for the draft to be made public so that stakeholders can discuss it at length, suggesting it could be implemented in Bihar if no problems are found.
RJD's overture
Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal legislator from Maner and senior party leader Bhai Virendra extended an open invitation to Nitish Kumar to leave the BJP and rejoin forces with the RJD to form a new government. Claiming that the former Chief Minister had already taken a stand on the UCC, he said the RJD would not allow the code to be implemented in Bihar and urged him to come together again. Virendra accused the present government of acting on instructions from Nagpur, where the RSS headquarters is located, and argued that forces pursuing divisive policies had damaged the country's social fabric. He said the JD(U)'s foundational principles of secularism and socialism were incompatible with the BJP's policies, making a fresh alliance logical.
The RJD and the JD(U) have twice formed Mahagathbandhan governments in Bihar. In the 243-member Assembly, the JD(U) currently has 85 MLAs and the RJD 25.
Chaudhary responded to the offer with a smile, asking since when the JD(U) should heed the RJD's advice. He said the two parties have their own separate policies, and that the JD(U) is concerned only with the counsel of the five ruling alliance partners of the NDA. Any decision, he said, would be taken after consulting all coalition partners.
On the proposal by party national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha to rename the JD(U) as Janata Dal (Nitish), Chaudhary said the matter would be discussed at the party's national executive and council meetings before a decision is taken.