The Hindu : Other States / Bihar News : Come out of the NDA, Paswan tells Nitish Kumar

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Sunday, Nov 28, 2004

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Come out of the NDA, Paswan tells Nitish Kumar

By K. Balchand

The Lok Janshakti Party chief and Union Steel Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan, holding a mace during a rally in Patna on Saturday. — Photo: Ranjeet Kumar

PATNA, NOV. 27. The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) today launched its campaign for the Bihar elections with its chief and Union Steel Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan, urging the Janata Dal (United) leader, Nitish Kumar, to boldly pursue his `anti-BJP' stand.

Addressing a rally, where his supporters targeted the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and its chief, Lalu Prasad,

Mr. Paswan said his party would be contesting the elections on its own but appreciated Mr. Kumar's stand against the Bharatiya Janata Party and there was still time for him to come out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Mr. Paswan said the need of the hour was to shed one's neutrality and take a positive stand particularly when the electorate was divided into two political planks.

"The people want a change," he claimed.

Invitation to Sonia

He recalled his meeting with Mr. Kumar at his Iftar party and said that differences between them that had cropped up during the 2000 Assembly elections had been sunk. Mr. Paswan said that he had talked to the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and invited her to join forces with him in Bihar.

To contest on its own

The LJP leader, nevertheless, reiterated his position that his party would contest all the 243 seats in Bihar and 81 in Jharkhand on its own and exhorted his workers to prepare for the real test due in February next year.

Call to Muslims

He said the Muslims had nothing to fear now that the BJP was no longer at the helm of affairs at the Centre.

"There is a secular government there and you had not received your due in Bihar. So join hands to form the Dalit-Muslim combination," he said.

Mr. Paswan warned the State Government against conducting raids on the residences of party leaders "out of vendetta"; otherwise they would bring it to a halt. The other leaders of the LJP projected Mr. Paswan as the next Chief Minister.

The LJP MLA, Vijay Shukla alias Munna Shukla, whose house was raided in connection with the abduction of two officials of the NHPC, warned the State Government against defaming him and his party and said that he would fight this politically.

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Come out of the NDA, Paswan tells Nitish Kumar