The Hindu : National : The chunk goes to Yadavs, Muslims in RJD first list

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Sunday, Oct 02, 2005

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National

The chunk goes to Yadavs, Muslims in RJD first list

Special Correspondent

Ready to accept apex court verdict in dissolution case: Lalu

PATNA: Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Friday said his party was ready to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court in the Bihar Assembly dissolution case but would go ahead with the present election process.

Speaking to reporters after releasing the first list of 51 RJD candidates here, he declined to comment on the Supreme Court's action but said, "we will do our work."

Mr. Prasad sprang a surprise, extending support to the Forward Bloc candidate in Nalanda, Ram Naresh Singh, to engage the National Democratic Alliance nominee there in a direct fight.

The Forward Bloc has a seat-sharing arrangement with the Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), which have formed an alliance against the RJD.

Mr. Prasad said the Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Nationalist Congress Party also agreed to support the FB nominee. The alliance would release its common minimum programme on October 4, Mr. Prasad refused to entertain any question on who would lead the State in case of victory of the combine. He just said: "it is understood". He never named his wife and former Chief Minister, Rabri Devi.

The RJD has given the ticket to all its MLAs in the dissolved House. Continuing with its Muslim-Yadav combination, the party distributed a major chunk of the ticket to aspirants from these communities.

"Great injustice"

PTI reports:

Assailing the National Democratic Alliance, Mr. Prasad said it had done "great injustice" to Bihar, not compensating it for the loss of resource-rich Jharkhand. "Jis tarah humne railway ko chamkaya hai usi tarah Bihar ko chamkayenge (We will make Bihar shine the way we have made the Railways shine)." Pointing out that 20-25 per cent of the people were yet to receive the Elector's Photo Identity Card, he demanded that the Election Commission ensure that every voter was given the EPIC or allowed to vote on the strength of other documents.

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