The Hindu : New Delhi News : Don't want to be Chief Minister with BJP's help: Paswan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 29, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Don't want to be Chief Minister with BJP's help: Paswan

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 28. The Lok Janshakti Party chief, Ram Vilas Paswan, yesterday reiterated that his party would oppose the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Bihar Assembly elections and said his party had begun talks with the Left parties. The Congress, in its talks with the RJD during the weekend, has staked claim for 100 seats in the 243-strong Assembly.

Mr. Paswan, who has been offered the Chief Minister's post by the Janata Dal (United), made it clear that he was not willing to accept it if the JD (U) remained with the BJP . He did not want to become Chief Minister with the BJP's help. He quit the National Democratic Alliance over the Gujarat riots, Mr. Paswan told correspondents.

Mr. Paswan said that the current polls would be a "secular versus secular" affair and said any move to turn it into a secular versus non-secular would force the minorities to back the RJD. Mr. Paswan claimed that the minorities were with the RJD more out of compulsion of keeping the BJP in check and said the secular parties should realise the strategy. He asserted that the BJP had lost ground in Bihar.

It is understood that the Congress' claim was based on a calculation that includes, 13 sitting MLAs, 15 other constituencies where the party finished second in the last Assembly elections and the rest where it ended up in other positions.

However, sources in the RJD suggested that of the 15, the Congress said it finished second including 9 seats where the RJD came first and two each in which the Left parties did better.

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