Saturday, July 2 2005 10:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Notwithstanding Congress' advocacy for putting up a united fight by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partners against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Bihar Assembly polls, Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) leader Ramvilas Paswan yesterday (July 1, 2005) stuck to his guns ruling out the possibility of any electoral pact with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA.

"The LJP's national committee has decided against having any truck with either the RJD or any constituent of the BJP-led NDA in the upcoming Assembly elections though we can have electora understandings with the Congress and the Left parties," Paswan told party workers after launching LJP's membership drive.

Paswan's statement assumes significance in view of the remark made by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of Bihar and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh that "when they (RJD chief Laloo and Paswan) can sit together (in union Cabinet meetings), why can't they stay together".

Exuding confidence that an LJP-led Government will be in place after the polls, Paswan asserted "my party's base votes are intact. The Dalits, Muslims, backwards and upper castes will all vote for the LJP in the elections."

The Dalit leader reaffirmed his party's commitment to having a Muslim as Chief Minister and said all so-called "secular parties sought Muslim votes but never a Muslim Chief Minister."

"I was prepared to accept as Chief Minister a Muslim leader from Congress, RJD or even Janata Dal-United (JDU), but nobody was prepared," he said.

Branding the LJP MLAs of the dissolved house who deserted him and plumped for JDU leader Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister as "opportunists", Paswan said, "They were opportunists who brought me and the party a bad name. They joined LJP before the last polls only to become MLAs and Ministers and it is good that they are no longer with us."