Saturday, March 19 2005 17:24 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: As political parties debated the imposition of President's Rule in Bihar, senior regional leaders today (March 19, 2005) sought to woo each other in the Lok Sabha to break the impasse over Government formation in the State.

While Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan asked JDU (Janata Dal United) leader Nitish Kumar to part ways with ally BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), the saffron party leader Sushil Modi invited Paswan to re-join the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) to form Government in the State.

"If you leave BJP and come along, I will form the Government. But are you ready," Paswan asked Kumar, while asserting that a Government could only be formed in Bihar if two of the three formations, RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), JDU or LJP joined hands.

Observing that the people's mandate had gone against the RJD and the Congress, Modi said the BJP was ready to support Paswan, even from outside, so that a Government could be formed.

"However in the present circumstances, there is no better candidate for Chief Ministership than Nitish Kumar", he said.

Stating that he was not in favour of Central rule in the State, Paswan said neither the Centre, nor the Governor had committed any mistake or done anything unconstitutional by imposing President's Rule, as there was no alternative in the prevailing situation.

He said it was "wrong to criticise the Government for imposing President's rule. There was no other way".