Friday, September 2 2005 17:39 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Joining issue with Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh over his terming as 'impractical' Ram Vilas Paswan's insistence on a Muslim Chief Minister in Bihar, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) today (Sept 2, 2005) said there was no going back on its stand as it concerned the party's 'irrevocable commitment to the Muslim society.'

''Insistence on a Muslim chief minister may be impractical for Congress but for us it is a matter of our irrevocable commitment to the Muslim society. There cannot be any compromise on the issue,'' LJP National Vice-president Ranjan Prasad Yadav said in a statement.

Congress general secretary in-charge of Bihar and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh had yesterday (Sept 1, 2005) disapproved of Paswan's steadfast refusal to compromise on the issue of Muslim chief minister as 'impractical' and said he has 'chosen a path which leads to nowhere.'

Accusing Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad of 'neither being secular nor a votary of social justice,' Yadav said ''Lalu has weakened all secular parties. The congress which once polled nearly 58-60 per cent votes and got 200 seats in the assembly, has now to remain content with just four per cent votes and 10 odd seats. The Left parties, which earlier secured around 3 seats, now get just 3-4 seats.''

Yadav said if at all the secular parties wanted to prevent the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from coming to power in Bihar, they would have to distance themselves from RJD, which, he claimed, had lost the trust and support of the masses.