Saturday, January 8 2005 12:39 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Undeterred by the refusal of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Ram Vilas Paswan to have alliance with it in Bihar in the coming Assembly elections as long as it remains with BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) kept its doors open for him as part of a Grand Alliance to defeat RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal)."

Briefing reporters after a meeting of JDU (Janata Dal United) Parliamentary Board in New Delhi last night (Jan 7, 2005), its Bihar unit president Bijendra Prasad Yadav said, "We welcome a Grand Alliance to defeat the RJD. We are not keeping any conditions for joining us and to fight against RJD together. We want all anti-RJD forces to come together and fight."

Asked whether JDU's alliance with BJP continues, he said, "We and BJP are together and we want all anti-RJD forces to come together."

On the issue of seat sharing with BJP in Bihar and Jharkhand, he said, "We will sit down and discuss how to defeat RJD and that is important and not seats."

He said the Board meeting, which was attended by George Fernandes, Nitish Kumar, Sharad Yadav, Prabunath Singh and others, will continue tomorrow, Yadav said.

On the number of seats the party would be contesting in Bihar and Jharkhand, he said, "The Central leadership of the party will finalise it."