New Delhi
Making a strong plea for “Opposition unity” ahead of the 2019 General Election, estranged JD-U leader Sharad Yadav today said the country was facing a “greater challenge” than what was there during Emergency days in 1975.

Speaking at a function to mark the 115th birth anniversary of Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan, organised by the People’s Parliament for Composite Culture, Unity and Development, he said, “Uniting Opposition parties to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will be the biggest tribute to JP (Jayaprakash Narayan).”

He went on to add if “complete unity” was not possible, “we should strive for maximum possible unity”. “Even JP allowed that to happen when several Opposition parties had opposed the inclusion of the then Jan Sangh into the Janata Party,” he said.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yachury also recalled a conversation between JP and his party leaders, who objected to the RSS and Jan Sangh’s inclusion into the Janata Party. “But when JP argued in favour of the Sangh Parivar, our leaders took a leaf out of Mao’s preaching of ‘marching separately and striking together’,” he said.

Earlier, noted lawyer Shanti Bhushan, in an apparent dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said, the country was today being “ruled by a leader who believes its problems can be solved by good speeches only”.