Patna: The proposed merger of various groups of the erstwhile Janata Dal has reportedly hit roadblocks in Bihar with the two mainstream parties, the ruling Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), charting out separate action plans to strengthen their own organisations in their home state.

In the past few days, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and JD-U leader Nitish Kumar have asked their respective party workers to be ready for polls without thinking about “merger or no merger”, indicating all is not well between the two leaders who joined hands together last in a bid to give a united fight to the surging Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the coming state polls.

While Kumar who is regularly holding meetings of his party workers and office-bearers to discuss how to tackle the BJP in the coming polls, has announced plans to hold a massive conclave of JD-U workers at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on February 15, Lalu Yadav has decided to take out a protest rally in Patna on March 15 against Narendra Modi government’s failure to bring back black money.

The developments come amid the sudden deferment of a crucial meeting over merger which was to be held in New Delhi January 30, fuelling further speculations about the souring relations between the RJD and the JD-U. Although the official reason cited for postponement of the meeting is the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, indications seem to suggest both Lalu Yadav and Kumar are not quite keen about the merger — at least for the time being.

“I will start a statewide tour from March. I don’t care if somebody accompanies me or not,” was how RJD chief Lalu Yadav told a function in Patna held on Wednesday (January 28) to mark the birth anniversary of prominent socialist leader late Karpoori Thakur. The statement indicated the RJD could even go it alone in the coming polls.

A day later on Thursday [January 29], Kumar poured his heart out in a similar fashion, asking his party workers to get ready for polls whether merger or no merger. “Don’t worry about that [merger]. Get ready for elections and prepare for the party’s political conclave (which will be held at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on February 15)”, the local media quoted Kumar as having told party leaders during Thursdays meeting at his residence.

Reports said certain issues have poured cold water on the merger plan. The main issue is who will head the single political entity after merger, who will head the poll campaign and also how will the issue of seat-sharing be finalised. While the JD-U is said to be staking claims for more seats citing its number in the current assembly, the RJD is not in a mood to accede many seats pointing out to JD-U’s disastrous performance in last year’s Lok Sabha polls when the latter was able to win only two seats out of the state’s 40 seats. The RJD also claims that in most of areas, its candidates finished second and hence it holds legitimate claims over maximum number of seats.

Media reports say Kumar is facing more opposition from party leaders over merger than Lalu. Many JD-U lawmakers are not in favour of “merging or even allying” with the RJD, saying they had won the last state polls opposing the RJD’s proverbial ‘Jungle raj’ and, hence it will be a bigger embarrassment to them if they go to polls in alliance with the RJD. “I am strongly against any merger with the RJD although ultimately I will have to follow the party leadership’s decision if they so decide,” JD-U lawmaker Gautam Singh told media on Saturday.

Experts say that in order to approve the merger, the JD-U leadership will have to obtain two-third support of party lawmakers even as the party stands totally divided over the issue.

The issue of four rebel JD-U lawmakers whose disqualification of house membership was rescinded by the Patna High Court has further complicated the situation for the party as they have declared war on Nitish Kumar. The assembly speaker had earlier disqualified the four lawmakers for their alleged “anti-party” activities, but in a curious turn of events their membership was restored by the court. Four other lawmakers whose membership was disqualified by the speaker too have moved the court against this order. They too are not likely to support the merger.

Informed sources said the JD-U-RJD bonhomie suffered considerably in recent weeks following RJD chief Lalu’s reluctance to replace chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi by some other Kumar loyalist. Former chief minister Kumar is said to be quite angry with the way Manjhi has been issuing controversial statements in public and the fact that he tried to remove many officials considered close to him (Kumar). Kumar, thus, wanted the support of the RJD to replace Manjhi, but Lalu never showed any interest, except for warning Manjhi against making controversial speeches.