New Delhi, Dec 03: Moving a step closer towards their merger, Samata Party and Janata Dal (United) MPs today met for the first time after leaders of the two parties agreed to come together and decided to ratify the decision at their national council meetings in the third week of this month. "Today's meeting authorised me to fix the date for the meetings of the respective national councils. It will be a one-day meeting and the probable date will be December 19 or 20 or 21," Samata Party president and Defence Minister George Fernandes told after the hour-long meeting held in JD(U) parliamentary party office.
Fernandes, who will head the unified JD(U) after the merger, said notices for the meeting would be despatched tomorrow to the national council members of respective parties inviting them to the meeting and informing them of the agenda.
At today's meeting it was decided that both parties will hold their meetings at the same time and after the national councils have approved the proposal of merger, that had earlier been agreed upon at the level of both party chiefs, "there will be a joint meeting which will ratify the merger of the two parties."
Asked as to who would head the combined parliamentary party, Fernandes said it would be decided only after the national council meeting.

Bureau Report