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Laloo sets out to conquer desertion-plagued UF

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav is trying to regain entry into the desertion-plagued United Front, to step up his fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The development seems to be music to the UF ears, with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's invitation to Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Moopanar to rejoin her party being the last straw for the combine's leadership.

Coming close on the heels of the Telugu Desam Party and the National Conference's desertion, the development on the TMC front seems to be potentially disastrous.

Ever since the TMC received a drubbing in the general election, its chief has been contemplating rejoining the parent party. And on Monday, announcing his resignation as TMC chief, Moopanar said he would rejoin the Congress, provided he received a 'proper invitation'. Quick to take the hint, Sonia extended an invitation to the TMC chief, describing him as an old friend.

It is against this backdrop that the RJD chief has sent overtures to the UF leadership.

Though former Union minister and RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh denied any knowledge of the development, he pointed out that the party chief was known for taking bold initiatives during times of political crises in the country.

''Lalooji has always taken bold initiatives on behalf of the secular forces,'' he said. ''So if he is talking about jointly combating the BJP through a UF-RJD onslaught, it would only be proper.''

However, certain UF leaders seem to have reservations against the RJD chief. A UF functionary said, ''When Laloo Yadav found that the UF leaders did not immediately respond to his overtures, he thought that he had scored a point. Thereafter, he began demanding that Sharad Yadav be removed as JD chief if he has to join the UF.'' Laloo Yadav defeated Sharad Yadav in Madhepura, Bihar, in the recent Lok Sabha election.

Similarly, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and former Union railway minister Ram Vilas Paswan are also understood to be resisting Laloo Yadav's re-entry into the UF.

While Deve Gowda feels Laloo Yadav is not dependable, Paswan considers him a threat to his status as a leader of the dalits in the country.

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