Patna:
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad today sought immediate settlement of alliances among secular parties in Bihar saying their prime concern was to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and not to decide who will be the chief minister, a move which is likely to ruffle feathers of the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U). The JD-U is learnt to be pressing for settling the issue of chief ministership first before starting the seat-sharing talks among its allies.
“Our fight, right now, is to defeat the BJP (in the upcoming elections); not to make anyone the chief minister. Moreover, it is the masses to decide who will be the chief minister,” Prasad told the media in Patna today.
He also explained none of his family members was in the race for the state’s top job and that he himself stands disqualified from contesting elections. Prasad, it may be mentioned here, has been debarred from active politics after his conviction in the multimillion dollar fodder scam by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court.
He denied any differences with chief minister Nitish Kumar or nursing any ill-will against him. “Had it been so, why would the RJD help him make the chief minister?” asked Prasad, adding the issue of chief ministership had not come for discussion so far.
He said it was necessary for all secular-minded parties to come together to defeat the BJP, adding he was sure of his alliance with the JD-U. “Alliance is bound to happen, but everyone should be prepared for bigger sacrifice,” he said.
The ruling JD-U offered a very guarded reaction over the issue saying there was still much time left for deciding all these issues. “Nitish Kumar is already the chief minister, and the issue about who will the chief minister will be settled amicably,” JD-U spokesperson Ajay Alok said.
However, the BJP reacted bitterly saying Kumar would never be the chief minister again. “Whether they (socialists) opt for merger or fight in alliance, nothing is going to happen. The people of Bihar had made up their mind to elect the BJP government this time,” a BJP lawmaker Sanjay Tiger said. He taunted the “socialists’ over the way the fear of a rout had prompted them to come together.
