Monday, March 7 2005 11:24 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) president Ramvilas Paswan rules out his party pulling out of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre.

Paswan today (Mar 7, 2005) renewed his call to the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) to part company with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and choose "a minority leader" for Chief Ministership to form a popular Government with the backing of like-minded parties and MLAs "minus Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and BJP."

"The LJP has already elected Ramashray Prasad Singh as the leader of its 29-member Legislature party, which makes it clear that I am at least not in the race for the top job in the 13th State Assembly," Paswan said in Patna.

"I offer the JD-U the post of Chief Minister provided it agrees to my suggestions to break away from the BJP and evolve a consensus on the name of a minority leader belonging to the party (JD-U) for Chief Ministership and it will be acceptable to us," Paswan said while hinting at fresh alignments of forces, excluding the RJD and the BJP, to install a popular Government soon.

Asked if he would take an initiative for a rapprochement with the JD-U for evolving a strategy for Government formation even after imposition of President's Rule, the LJP president said, "It is for the JD-U to respond positively to my suggestions."

He, however, said there was no hurry at present "and all these things should be discussed with an open cool mind while sitting across the table".

Paswan denied reports that he had talks with the JD-U leaders, including Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav, on the conditions being set by him for a new Government.

Angrily reacting to the statements of RJD supremo Laloo Prasad and JD-U leader Nitish Kumar holding the LJP leader responsible for the proposal for Central rule in Bihar, Paswan asked, "Why don't the RJD (75) and NDA (92) having a combined strength of 167 MLAs join hands to form a Government?"

"President's rule is something which was written on the walls after the Assembly threw up a fragmented verdict. I have been speculating it since the beginning," Paswan said while commenting on allegations being levelled against him by both the RJD and JD-U leader on the issue.

When his attention was drawn to reports that the RJD would seek ouster of the LJP from the UPA, Paswan said, "Take it for sure that I will continue with the UPA and endeavour for a non-BJP and non-RJD Government in Bihar."

He also castigated JD-U leader Nitish Kumar for maintaining silence after the election results and said, "I am not the villain but Kumar who is responsible for pushing the State to this situation."

Had Kumar moved out of the NDA and taken a lead for a non-BJP and non-RJD Government the situation could have been averted, he remarked.

Talking about the arithmetic for formation of a new Government, Paswan said, "Even if we exclude the RJD (75) and BJP (37), the combined strength of anti-RJD and anti-BJP forces is worked at 131, nine more than the magic figure of 122 MLAs required for a simple majority in the 243-member house. All these things will have to be discussed among the interested parties and MLAs for Government formation shortly," he said.