Sunday, March 6 2005 18:12 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Launching a frontal attack on LJP (Lok Janshakti Party) leader Ramvilas Paswan for the Governor recommending President's rule in Bihar, RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) today (Mar 6, 2005) said his intransigence over aligning with RJD showed 'utter disrespect' to the mandate which, it claimed, was in favour of secular forces.

"Recommendation of President's Rule was inevitable with Paswan, a major UPA (United Progressive Alliance) ally at the Centre, sticking to his stand against the RJD," RJD spokesman Shivanand Tiwari and State president Abdul Bari Siddiqui told reporters in Patna.

"Being a UPA ally, the LJP should have come forward to form a secular Government led by the RJD which emerged the single largest after the poll," Tiwari said.

"Paswan's tough posturing on aligning with the RJD show utter disrespect to the mandate in favour of secular forces," Tiwari said.

RJD leader and Union Minister of State for Water Resources Jayprakash Narayan Yadav said his party leaders would launch a State-wide campaign to 'expose' the LJP and its leader Paswan.

"Several crores of rupees were spent on holding the elections in Bihar for an elected Government, but Paswan has forced a situation when the Constitutional head of the State is left with no option other than recommending Central rule to end the political uncertainty," Yadav said, adding people of the State would not forgive those who were responsible for it.