JD-U becomes a ‘laughing stock’ of allies, Opp after walking midway through UP polls

PATNA: The Janata Dal United of chief minister Nitish Kumar has become a laughing stock of both the opposition and its allies ever since it suddenly pulled out of the UP polls after months of active campaigning.

Although the JD-U claims it walked of the contest to prevent split in secular votes, its allies and the BJP have questioned this logic in public.

“The JD-U pulled out of the UP contest after assessing its position. It has no base in UP and the rallies held by the parties there were attended mostly by the hired people,” RJD legislator Bhai Birendra said.

He further accused the JD-U of wasting resources of Bihar in holding rallies in UP without gaining anything..

The Congress too mocked the JD-U’s move. “The JD-U decided not to contest assembly elections since it knows its fate very well,” asked Congress legislator Dr Ashok Ram. He also reacted bitterly to JD-U leaders’ remark that the Congress didn’t consult the party in the seat-sharing deal.

“Why should the Congress consult the JD-U?” he asked.

The BJP launched even more stinging attack on the JD-U. “The JD-U fled the poll scene under pressures from the RJD and Congress which threatened to review alliance in Bihar. It also reflects JD-U has accepted its marginal base in UP despite having made efforts to make inroads in various pockets,” senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi was quoted as saying in the English daily Hindustan Times.