The Hindu : Front Page : Nitish gives up efforts to form Government in Bihar

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Sunday, Apr 10, 2005

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Front Page

Nitish gives up efforts to form Government in Bihar

By Our Special Correspondent

PATNA, APRIL 9. The senior Janata Dal (United) leader, Nitish Kumar, today called off his week-old exercise to form a non-BJP Government in Bihar accusing the Lok Jan Shakti Party chief and Union Steel Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan, of back-stabbing and insulting him in the process.

Mr. Kumar laid bare his heart at a press conference outlining the results of his exercise that he set off by writing letters to six parties and 17 independents at Mr. Paswan's bidding. He made it clear that any talk of forming a non-BJP Government was a waste of time and that his party would oppose the extension of President's Rule in the Lok Sabha on the expiry of the present spell and welcome fresh elections.

Mr. Kumar expressed his surprise over the manner in which Mr. Paswan went back on his word and stand which he had made public a day before he went public with his effort to put a popular government in place. The former Railway Minister underscored that the LJP chief had in Ranchi stated that he could do little if the Bharatiya Janata Party extended outside support to the Government, thereby consenting to the BJP's outside support.

According to Mr. Kumar, he took the initiative to form the Government only at the instance of Mr. Paswan who had held several rounds of talks with party colleague and MP, Prabhunath Singh, suggesting that a common minimum programme be drafted on the basis of manifestoes of all the political parties to be roped in to form the Government.

Mr. Kumar said Mr. Paswan had personally agreed to talk to him over the issue when he had greeted him on the occasion of Holi. He maintained that he had given in to the suggestion only because Mr. Paswan happened to hold him responsible for not taking the initiative. And he did so despite his conviction that no government was possible by excluding the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the BJP and the Congress, which together command 128 members in the 243 member strong Assembly.

Taking Mr. Paswan to be serious in his efforts, Mr. Kumar responded with equal earnestness and wrote letters to the LJP, the NCP, the BSP, the SP, the CPI and the CPI-ML besides the 17 independents. His effort to talk to Mr. Paswan in Delhi later proved futile and said that he felt humiliated and insulted by Mr. Paswan's statements that he had not even cared to read his letter.

He made it clear that he would not respond to any initiative in the future and felt that it was Mr. Paswan who had a problem, trying to stick to power at the Centre and take on one of his own allies in Bihar. He, however, took a dig at him and hoped that he would play his game with some political decency and dignity.

Backing of independents

PTI reports:

In a boost to the efforts of NDA chief ministerial candidate, Mr. Kumar for the installation of a popular government in Bihar, 15 independent MLAs today extended ``unconditional'' support to him and asked Mr. Paswan to adopt a `positive' stand on the issue. Fifteen of the 17 independents in the 243-member Assembly, who reportedly met here late last night, extended `unconditional' support to Mr. Kumar in his endeavour.

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