Samata Party attacks JD(U), says Fernandes is with them

New Delhi, Feb 3 (UNI) The newly revived Samata Party today launched a scathing attack on the leadership of the Janata Dal(United), claiming that the party lacked internal democracy and had many criminal elements in it.

Announcing the newly-appointed office bearers, Samata Party President Brahmanand Mandal claimed that ''NDA Convenor George Fernandes's soul is in the Samata Party, while the body may be somewhere else. ''However, soon both the body and the soul will be together,'' he added.

Charging the JD(U) of conspiring against Mr Fernandes and disrespecting him, Mr Mandal said that the veteran leader was no longer with the JD(U), claimed that Mr Fernandes was advising them on how to run the Samata Party. He said that the ''corrupt and irregular activities'' were being undertaken to oust Mr Fernandes as the JD(U) President.

Samata Party General Secretary and spokesman Shiv Kumar, who left JD(U) on January 21 during a confernece here, said that there was no unity and organisation within the Janata Dal(U). ''The party is being run as fiefdom of some people and not a single meeting of the office bearers has been held recently,'' he said.

The two leaders claimed that JD(U) MP Vashisht Narayan Singh and Mr Arun Kumar have come to the Samata Party.

Asserting that the Nitish Kumar government had sidelined all the original Samata Party members in Bihar, the two leaders said that those who had laid foundation of the Samata Party alongiwith Mr Kumar find themselves isolated and may ''revolt''. Mr Kumar had sided with the new members inducted by breaking the Lok Janashakti Party and others, they said.

Meanwhile, Mr Praveen Singh Jadeja, Mr Irfanullah Khan and Shiv Kumar have been appointed the National General Secretaries of the party. Mr Om Prakash Gurjar, Meena Rajput, Abhay Singh and Nipun Dhulua have been appointed National Secretaries while nine state presidents have also been nominated.

UNI