'JD(U) open to poll alliance with all except Cong'

Bangalore, Dec 19 (UNI)The Janata Dal (United) in Karnataka was open to have electoral understanding with any other parties except Congress, party General Secretary Shambhu Srivatava said today.

Talking to newspersons after addressing a convention of state JD(U) district presidents, office bearers and prominent party leaders here, he said the party is receiving feelers from leaders of different parties, including the JD(S).

Mr Srivastava said immediate focus would be to re-activate the party in the state and bring enthusiasm among lakhs of party workers, who opposed ''opportunistic politics'' and believe in practising value-based politics.

He said the party would field its candidates only where it had strong base in the coming Assembly elections and was open to pre-poll alliance with any other party except the Congress.

Referring to Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Mr Srivastava alleged that Congress was adopting ''anti-poor policies'' and forcibly acquiring lands from farmers for handing it over to industrialists and multinational companies.

Stating that the formation of SEZs across the country had resulted in loss of livelihood to crores of families, he said the Nitish Kumar led Bihar Government had not allowed any SEZ of multinational and domestic corporate's retailing outlets to come up in the state.

The party in Karnataka would organise divisional conferences of party workers and it would be addressed by party President Sharad Yadav and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Mr Srivastava said.

To a question, he said he would meet former JD(S) leader M P Prakash and invite him to join the party. ''Several Legislators of the dissolved Karnataka Assembly have also expressed their desire to join the JD(U),'' he added.

UNI