In Bihar, RJD leaders feel need for tie-up with Congress
By IANSFriday, October 22, 2010
PATNA - Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad may be slamming the Congress publicly, but many of his party leaders in Bihar feel an alliance between the two is called for.
Talking to IANS, a key party leader and senior member said there is a strong feeling among party members that the RJD cannot come to power without an alliance with the Congress even as six-phased assembly polls are in progress in the state.
“We have a strong alliance with the LJP (Lok Janshakti Party), but there is a feeling in the party that the RJD cannot come back without the Congress support, the RJD leader said.
The comments come shortly after RJD chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad slammed the Congress saying it had no base in the state. In an interview to a TV channel, he said he had supported the Congress in difficult times, but it is now attempting to eradicate parties like the RJD and LJP.
He had also said Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi does not understand India.
The divide in the RJD and Congress came during the 15th Lok Sabha polls in 2009 after seat-sharing talks failed. But even now it extends outside support to the UPA-II government.
There is nothing wrong in taking the Congress support, we are allies after all. We supported the government at centre, so we may expect vice-versa, he said.
Congress is going it alone in the assembly polls, which started Oct 21 and will end Nov 20.
The RJD is in the fray for 168 seats while LJP is fighting in 75 seats. The RJD has 54 seats in the Bihar assembly, while the LJP has 10. The Congress has nine seats.
Earlier, senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh in an interview had accepted that breaking away from the Congress was a mistake for the RJD. However, the top brass is keeping quiet in public on the prospects of a tie-up.
RJD and LJP were partners in the United Progressive Alliance’s first tenure in New Delhi, wherein Lalu Prasad served as the railway minister and LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan handled the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers and ministry of steel.
