Bihar politics: After JD(U) cold-shoulders Congress, Lalu Prasad hardens his stance

PATNA: After the Janata Dal (United) coldshouldered the Congress party for a possible pre-poll tie-up, Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal has now hardened its stance in Bihar, saying it will not give more than a dozen seats to the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine.

“We have offered 11 seats to the Congress and one to the NCP. It would not be possible for me to accommodate them beyond 12 seats,” Prasad told a news channel at Nawada on Monday. All this could be a terse message from the RJD chief, who now knows that he has more space for negotiations as the JD(U) is not ready to push for an alliance with the Congress .

Sources said Congress leader Ahmad Patel had contacted JD(U) spokesman KC Tyagi on Saturday conveying tie-up feelers to him following the RJD’s offer of just 12 seats. Tyagi, JD(U) sources said, then approached Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who however shot it down saying that the proposal has come too late for consideration.

In fact, the CM had told ET that there was no question of going to the Congress for seeking an alliance. “We have already moved far too ahead on the federal front initiative.

Our alliance with the CPI is also in the final stage,” he had said. He also sought to say that the demand of a special category status for Bihar should not be related to the party’s alliance with Congress.

“To go back to the Congress would now be a big folly. If the Congress had accorded the special category status earlier, Nitishji would then have got some ground to do political business with the Congress,” a senior JD(U) leader told ET. Congress obviously is left with the only option of engaging RJD which though is unwilling to compromise on the number of seats.

Sources said the Congress leader in charge of Bihar, CP Joshi, is holding parleys with RJD leader PC Gupta. Congress sources said the party has now even given up its claim on contentious seats like Madhubani and East Champaran where it would have liked to field the party’s Shakeel Ahmad and Akhilesh Prasad Singh.

Alliance talks not conducted over deadline: Abhishek Singhvi

Speaking on RJD-Congress talks, AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said: “Alliance talks are never conducted over any deadline. There will be soon clarity on our alliances in Bihar.

Till then you may better avoid speculation.” Asked about JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav ruling out any alliance with Congress, Singhvi said: “Why comment on something without any proof or evidence.”