The Hindu : Front Page : ``RJD-Congress-Left alliance alive''

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Monday, Jan 10, 2005

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Front Page

``RJD-Congress-Left alliance alive''

By Our Special Correspondent

United Progressive Alliance leaders Lalu Prasad, M.L. Fotedar and Arjun Singh leaving after a meeting on seat-sharing for the coming Assembly elections in Bihar and Jharkhand, in New Delhi on Sunday. — Photo: Anu Pushkarna

NEW DELHI. JAN. 9. After days of sabre rattling, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress and Left parties today made it clear that the alliance was alive and kicking in Bihar and Jharkhand. Emerging from a closed door meeting at the residence of the Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh, the RJD chief, Lalu Prasad, the CPI general secretary, A.B. Bardhan, and the Congress leader told reporters that efforts were under way to sort out the differences over seat distribution in Jharkhand and Bihar and "the issue will be amicably resolved in the next two days."

After Saturday's bitter exchanges, leaders of the Congress, the RJD and the Left parties met today to hammer out their differences. The meeting was preceded by a series of back channel contacts between the Congress and RJD leaders and later by a short meeting between the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and Mr. Prasad. Ms. Gandhi had also instructed her party interlocutors to sit and rework the seat distribution arrangement with the RJD and Left parties.

`A trusted ally'

On Saturday, irked by the unilateral agreement between the Congress and the JMM in Jharkhand, Mr. Prasad had threatened to go it alone in Bihar. Today there were smiles all around. All the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the need to work together. Mr. Singh went out of his way to praise the RJD chief; describing him as "one of the most trusted allies of the Congress. There can never be any question of ignoring him." Mr. Prasad returned the compliment saying that the way forward was to remain united and promised to do everything within his power to carry all the UPA allies together.

Addressing the media jointly at the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Singh, Mr. Bardhan and Mr. Prasad admitted to differences over the seat distribution but promised a solution in the next few days. "There are differences but everything will be worked out soon," said Mr. Bardhan.

"We are allies and we will contest the elections together," said Mr. Singh. The RJD chief said there was no question of allowing the BJP to take advantage of the situation and indicated that he would return to the capital on Tuesday to finalise the seat distribution.

Mr. Prasad said that UPA constituents were duty bound to sort out their differences. "There is no question of complaints. We will sort out our differences and contest jointly."

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