Thursday, October 6 2005 14:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ramvilas Paswan today (Oct 06, 2005) slammed the door on any future alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA), dubbing the two key contenders for power in Bihar as 'two faces of the same coin'.

"We have shut the door on any alliance with the RJD and NDA in future," Paswan told a press conference while answering a question as to whether he would help the RJD-led alliance to form the government in the event of it falling short of majority.

Paswan, also Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertiliser, claimed that the Third Front comprising Communist Party of India (CPI), Forward Bloc and Republican Socialist Party (RSP) would emerge victorious and form a 'poor- and minority- friendly' government on its own.

He ridiculed that the NDA was the sole alternative to the RJD's misrule.

Stating that there is no United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in Bihar, a fact accepted by its chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Paswan said RJD chief Lalu Prasad was only heading a so-called secular front comprising Congress, Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

He said an alliance with RJD in the future was impossible also because of RJD chief's reluctance to accept anybody other than Rabri Devi as chief minister.

Launching a scathing attack on Prasad for 'unleashing a reign of terror and corruption', Paswan said besides Prasad, a dozen of RJD ministers and bureaucrats were put behind the bars in a string of corruption cases.

"Even funds for development and execution of welfare schemes for poor were swindled," he said while unveiling a joint appeal of his front to electorate.