Saturday, September 2 2006 13:45 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Rubbishing as 'speculative' the report that a rapprochement between him and archrival RJD President Lalu Prasad was in the offing, LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan today said there was no question of a patch-up between the two in the near future.

"Where is the question of a patch-up between us. RJD President met me in parliament seeking our support in the wake of the recent spurt in atrocities on Dalits, particularly their women, in Bihar. Since we shared his perception, we lent support and the matter ended there," Paswan told PTI before leaving for New Delhi this morning.

"There is no change in my stand of maintaining equi-distance with both RJD and the BJP-led NDA. We can come together on some issues of people's concern, but nothing like forming a front or effecting an alliance," Paswan asserted.

Prasad, a Cabinet colleague of Paswan in the Centre's UPA Government in which the latter is Steel and Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister, had said on August 26 he had shaken hands with the Dalit leader on the question of gangrape of Dalit women in Lakhisarai district and "in future also we would work together in the interest of the poor and the downtrodden".

"Look, I don't have any personal animosity with Nitish Kumar (Bihar Chief Minister). The state's NDA government should check atrocities on Dalits and other poor sections and general crime which it had promised. This is all we want," Paswan maintained.