Saturday, September 10 2005 12:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) President Ram Vilas Paswan today (Sept 10, 2005) said it was for the Congress to decide whether it wanted to go to polls in Bihar on a larger United Progressive Alliance (UPA) platform comprising majority of its allies led by his party or with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), responsible for consolidation of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) position in the state.

He asked the Congress leadership to steer clear of the controversy over the issue of a Muslim chief minister and asserted that he was ready to make any sacrifice for the uplift of minorities, dalits and other weaker sections.

He ruled out the possibility of his resignation from the UPA under pressure from any quarter, including the RJD.

By stating that our party's demand for a Muslim Chief Minister is unreasonable and impractical, the Congress has done a political hara-kiri. Its secular credentials are now at stake, Paswan told sources in Patna.

"It is now for the Congress to choose between the RJD and the LJP and retract from its stand describing my party's insistence on a Muslim becoming chief minister as unreasonable and impractical to steer clear of the controversy," he said.

If LJP's demand is unreasonable, what can we say about the RJD leader Lalu Prasad's obduracy projecting his wife Rabri Devi as chief Minister. Does it augur well for the Congress to align with Lalu Prasad who is instrumental in increasing the communal and fascist forces represented by the NDA, Paswan, Union Minister for Steel, Chemical and Fertilisers, said.

Reiterating that the LJP would not make any compromise and maintain equi-distance with the RJD and BJP, he claimed the LJP represents the larger UPA with support of majority of its allies in Bihar and the ball is now in the court of Congress to decide whether it wants to stay with us or join hands with the RJD.