JD-U not moving towards Congress, UPA: Sharad Yadav

Janata Dal - United chief Sharad Yadav on Friday strongly denied that his party was gravitating towards the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance in the wake of its support to Pranab Mukherjee's Presidential candidature.

"That is absurd. It has no meaning," he said when asked about perceptions of his party cosying up to the Congress.

The JD-U chief parried questions about the projection of Narendra Modi in the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"First, the BJP will decide on the issue. It will come to NDA only then," was his brief response when asked what the JD-U will do if Modi is projected as the prime ministerial face of the BJP.

As the National Democratic Alliance and Left Front battle the perception of a rift on the Presidential poll issue, Yadav said, "None of three alliances -- UPA, NDA or Left Front -- are divided. That was the biggest message on Wednesday when Mukherjee filed his nomination, nobody from JD-U, Shiv Sena, CPI-M or Forward Bloc went there".

"This shows there is no rift in either the NDA or the Left Front. Even the UPA will remain united as its ally Mamata Banerjee appears to have no choice other than backing Mukherjee's candidature or abstaining from voting. The Presidential election has not caused divide in any of the three alliances," he said.

He said that the JD-U supported Mukherjee only because the veteran leader knows the country and only such a person should occupy the high office; not someone who is dependent on advisors for all decision.

"That does not mean our opposition to Congress-led UPA has lessened. Also, we do not support the economic policies of the UPA of which Mukherjee was an integral part of. UPA's economic policies have ruined the country," said Yadav, who is also the NDA convener.

Sources said that Communist Party of India – Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat had talked to Yadav, as UPA leaders were keen to attend the nomination filing event of Mukherjee.

The two leaders took a "tactical decision" not to be there to discourage the perception of any divide in their respective alliances.