MPs and MLAs belonging to the Jan Morcha are due to meet next Monday and Tuesday to decided whether or not they should join the proposed Samajwadi Janata Dal resulting from the merger of the Janata, Lok Dal, Congress (S) and the Morcha. This shows that it is still an open question whether they would join the SJD. The reluctance has by and large been explained in terms of their desire not to attract disqualification under the anti-defection act. It is not for us to say whether this is in fact the true explanation for their apparent hesitation in casting their lot with the SJD. All we can say is that if it is indeed the case, it would reflect rather poorly on the persons concerned. How can men not prepared to lose membership of Parliament or a state legislature and face by-elections possibly claim to qualify for leading what is intended to replace the Congress as the ruling party and in the final analysis for governing the country? Surely measured against the stake, the price is ridiculously small.
Though, as stated earlier, we are not in a position to determine the truth, we are not inclined to take the kind of uncharitable view of the Jan Morcha MPs and MLAs which, ironically, their own supporters have propagated. We feel that some more solid and impersonal consideration lies behind their indecision. One such consideration could well be the desire not to move into total opposition to the Congress and thereby lose the capacity to influence developments in that key political organisation. As late as last week Mr Arun Nehru said once again that a number of Congressmen were in contact with the Jan Morcha, implying that the Morcha had not given up the hope of promoting developments which could bring about a change in the Congress leadership, a euphemism for the replacement of Mr Rajiv Gandhi. Obviously this interpretation of Mr Nehru’s statement cannot be reconciled with Mr V.P. Singh’s action in accepting the proposed merger and in virtually agreeing to be the leader of the proposed party. But it is not inconceivable that differences have arisen between Mr V.P. Singh and the other prominent Janata leaders. That would in any case provide a more satisfactory explanation of the apparent reluctance of the Jan Morcha MPs to join the SJD. To begin with, Mr V.P. Singh too appeared interested in securing a change in the Congress leadership and not in opposing the party as such. But he seems to have given up that platform and moved into the role of a regular opposition leader. The by-election in Allahabad appears to have been a turning point for him. His associates have not crossed the rubicon. In the nature of things, ours is only a tentative inference. A final assessment must await the forthcoming confabulations on August 1 and 2.