Monday, June 6 2005 08:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Central leadership of Communist Party of India (CPI) fails to convince its Bihar State unit to align with a Laloo Prasad-led party.

Efforts by Rashtriya Janata Party (RJD) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) for a unified United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to take on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in coming Assembly polls in Bihar suffered a jolt yesterday (Jun 5, 2005) with the central leadership of CPI failing to convince its State unit to align with Laloo-led party.

However, RJD chief Laloo Prasad held out an olive branch to prospective electoral allies saying he would accommodate them on the basis of their strength and CPM said it would talk to Laloo and CPI on the issue of UPA unity.

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan told reporters in New Delhi, "No one has told them (Bihar unit of CPI) not to talk to RJD but I have doubt whether they will do so".

After a meeting of the party's National Executive, which ended in New Delhi yesterday, which discussed political developments in Bihar CPI told its State unit to hold talks with like-minded parties including Left parties, Congress, Lok Janashakti Party (LJP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and strive to increase the number of seats for the party "substantially" in the coming polls.

The State CPI, which faced a "bitter" experience of fighting the last Assembly polls with RJD, has refused to have no truck with Laloo Prasad's party in the coming polls and said it was making efforts for formation of a "Third Front" consisting of Left parties and others to take on RJD and NDA.

In Patna, RJD chief Laloo Yadav held out an olive branch to prospective allies by saying several mistakes in the last Assembly elections in Bihar, which cost his party would not be repeated and he would accommodate secular parties on the basis of their strength.

"I as well as the people of Bihar have taken lessons from the past mistakes which prevented the RJD to return to power. This time we will tread cautiously to defeat the communal forces and form a secular Government in the State with two-third majority," Laloo said at a party function.

Loose electoral pacts was one of the factors cited by Laloo among the mistakes his party had committed in the previous polls.

He said he would talk to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to sew up a "fool-proof" electoral alliance.

In Kolkata, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters after the party's central committee meeting that it would talk to Laloo Prasad and CPI for consolidating "secular" forces in the State.

Asked about CPI's reported opposition to alliance with RJD in Bihar, Karat said CPM would hold talks with Laloo as "we have not declared anybody untouchable. We will talk to all Left parties also," he said without naming CPI.