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27/07/2010
It's Janata Dal 'disunited' in Bihar
Patna, July 27 (IANS) Assembly elections may be barely months away, but Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) seems anything but united with clashes and violence marring several meetings of party workers in the last few days.
On Tuesday, JD-U workers kept up the trend with clashes in Bhagalpur and Siwan districts. Similar trouble had broken out in party meetings in Munger, Motihari and Nawada districts earlier.
In Bhagalpur, two group of party workers fought. And in Siwan, scuffles broke out before Chief Minister Nitish Kumar arrived at the meeting. Senior party leaders were forced to appeal for calm and peace.
Before that, on Saturday, a JD-U meeting in Munger witnessed violence when slogan shouting party workers and local leaders attacked each other in the presence of party national president Sharad Yadav and party general secretary Shivanand Tiwari.
It was reported that some party workers sustained injuries and one worker was admitted to hospital after he was badly beaten by a rival group.
The purpose of the meeting was to unite party workers ahead of the assembly polls in October-November.
"The JD-U is a divided house in Munger," a JD-U leader told IANS.
In Motihari, supporters of Madhuban legislator Sheoji Rai and JD-U district youth president Santosh Kushwaha attacked each other Sunday at a meeting. Twelve party workers were injured and had to be hospitalised.
Party workers damaged vehicles, threw chairs and attacked their rivals with bamboo sticks in the presence of party MPs Meena Singh and Upendra Kushwaha and legislator Bhim Singh.
Both the warring factions have lodged first information reports (FIRs).
In Nawada, a JD-U workers' meeting Monday witnessed violence. Party workers attacked each other and threw chairs in the presence of state party president Vijay Choudhary and nearly half a dozen ministers.
Party leaders, including Choudhary, were reluctant to comment on the issue. "It happened sometime in the party meeting," Choudhary said.
But political watchers here say the internal bickering had exposed the disunity in the party ahead of the polls. "A similar situation is likely in other districts too," an expert said.
A senior JD-U leader, maintaining a low profile after the party gave more mileage to leaders from other parties who joined the JD-U, said that hundreds of party workers and local leaders who had joined in the last two-three years, are eyeing tickets to contest the polls. This is causing frustration among dedicated, old time workers and leaders, he said.
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