The Bihar government on Tuesday declared a two-day State mourning for veteran socialist leader George Fernandes. Mr. Fernandes had contested and won the Lok Sabha election from the Muzaffarpur seat and founded the Samata Party along with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in 1994.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar broke down while paying tributes to the former Defence Minister at the JD(U) State headquarters. The Samata Party was formed under his leadership and guidance, he said.
Fernandes and Mr. Kumar launched the Samata Party in 1994 after they parted ways with the erstwhile Janata Dal that had formed the government at the Centre in 1989. Mr. Kumar, however, went on to form the Janata Dal (United) and Fernandes merged the Samata Party in the JD(U) in 2003. In later days, though, both the leaders were said to be not on cordial terms.
“A great fighter and symbol of anti-Congressism… architect of the alliance between the BJP and the Samata Party which led to the fall of RJD rule in Bihar… as convenor of NDA, he played an important role in Ataljis government. Nobody can match George. RIP,” tweeted Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi.
Former JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, who recently founded the Loktantrik Janata Dal, recalled Fernandes as a “father figure and a role model who belonged to the Janata Dal family of socialists but had friends in every political party.”
Imprisoned Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav also said that he was extremely saddened to hear about the demise of the socialist leader.
Other Bihar leaders like former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and Jagannath Mishra and BJP leader Nitya Nand Rai too condoled the leader’s death.