Speaking to reporters at the party office here, after paying tribute to his father and party founder Ajit Singh on his birth anniversary, Chaudhary said: “I have spoken to all my party MLAs and workers, and have taken this decision after speaking to them. There has been no big planning behind the decision, it is not like we had decided it much earlier.” The RLD is a key player in western Uttar Pradesh politics.
“We had to take this decision in a short period of time, considering the situation. Our intentions are good… we want to do good for our people and country. We are overwhelmed that the Bharat Ratna has been conferred (on Chaudhary Charan Singh),” said Chaudhary, who is the grandson of Charan Singh.
On February 9, responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of the Bharat Ratna for Charan Singh, Chaudhary had posted on ‘X’: “Dil jeet liya”. Asked then if he was joining hands with the BJP, he had said, “See what remains? How can I refuse your question today?” (Is there anything left? With which face can I deny this question today?).
Confirming his party’s decision to join the NDA, RLD national spokesperson Mohammad Islam told The Indian Express on Monday: “This is final. A formal announcement will be made in a couple of days because our MLAs too have to decide about their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections in UP.” He said that modalities like seat-sharing were being worked out.
Asked why the RLD was leaving the INDIA bloc, Islam said: “RLD was involved in the INDIA bloc honestly. But we changed our mind when injustice started and our pride was at stake.” Elaborating on this, he said the SP wanted to field some of its candidates on the RLD symbol.
While the SP had said it would give seven seats to the RLD in western UP for the Lok Sabha elections, it reportedly insisted that two of these seats would go to SP candidates to be fielded on the RLD symbol.
Though the BJP had won western UP without RLD’s help in 2019, having the party on its side will strengthen its winning prospects in these Jat-dominated seats where its sitting MPs are facing anti-incumbency.
“RLD support will also help us in Rajasthan and Haryana, where Jat voters have a significant presence. But the biggest advantage for the BJP will be the psychological blow it will deliver to the Congress and the Opposition alliance before the Lok Sabha elections,” said a BJP leader.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 12-02-2024 at 17:42 IST
