Monday, September 19 2005 14:47 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Congress today (Sept 19, 2005) remained non-committal on whether Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Ramvilas Paswan, who has become part of a Third Front in Bihar Assembly polls, should remain in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) or not.

"It is an issue for the national leadership of the UPA to decide", AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh said when asked to comment on Paswan finally throwing his lot in favour of a Third Front along with Communist Party of India (CPI), disregarding pleas of Congress, Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to join the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led UPA in Bihar.

Singh said the emergence of such a front would certainly divide secular votes. "When there are two secular fronts, the votes are bound to get divided", he said.

He stated this when asked to comment on RJD chief Lalu Prasad's assertion that Paswan should leave the UPA at the Centre if he does not become a part of it in Bihar. A similar demand has been made by the CPI(M) in the past.

Meanwhile, Singh held discussions with Bihar PCC chief Sadanand Singh on the issue of seat sharing.