'RJD's priority is to form secular govt under Sonia' Friday, May 14 2004 18:59 Hrs (IST)
Patna:
Jubilant over the massive victory of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led secular alliance in Bihar in the Lok Sabha polls, RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav today (May 14, 2004) said his party's top priority now was the formation of a Sonia Gandhi-led secular Government at the Centre to which it would not put any pre-conditions.
"RJD's top priority now is formation of a stable and secular Government at the Centre under Sonia Gandhi and we are not interested in demanding the posts of either the Prime Minister or the Deputy Prime Minister," Yadav told reporters in Patna before leaving for Delhi.
"I am not in the race for Prime Ministership or Deputy Prime Ministership. I had at the very outset supported the candidature of Gandhi for the top post and she being the leader of the largest party in the secular front is the natural choice for the post," he said.
In case Gandhi does not accept the post, the constituents of the alliance will sit together and find an alternative, Yadav, who trounced Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Sharad Yadav by over 60,000 votes in Madhepura, said.
Asked if he favoured inclusion of Samajwadi Party (SP) in the secular Government irrespective of the fact that the Congress-led secular alliance is in a comfortable position to form Government with the help of left parties, the RJD chief said, "We are not averse to any secular party joining us in the Government."
Yadav said his party was in favour of a "common minimum and target oriented programme" for smooth functioning of the proposed coalition Government.