File Photo: Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today termed as "fraud" the merger of six 'Janata Parivar' offshoots and wondered if it was for real as the new party was without a name, flag and symbol.
"Janata Parivar is a fraud. Intentions of its leaders are not clean and they are cheating people of the country," Mr Paswan told reporters, a day after the six parties announced their merger and said a decision on the name and symbol of the new outfit would be taken later.
"Somebody should ask Sharad Yadav today which party he belongs to and what is his position. They have made Mulayam Singh Yadav the head of the new party. But where is the party? Which party does he head?" the President of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), a BJP ally, asked.
He said leaders like Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, RJD leader Lalu Prasad and Sharad Yadav had been saying for over six months that they would merge their parties but no details were given during yesterday's announcement.
Mr Paswan, himself a key member of the Janata Parivar bloc before he joined hands with BJP before Lok Sabha elections, said most of these parties would maintain their separate identities.
"Or they would all merge into Samajwadi Party. They will be finished," he said.