Don't worry, I’ll remain with you, Paswan assures Lalu

PATNA: LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan has reiterated that the RJD-LJP alliance would remain strong. Any talk of the alliance taking a hit was far fetched and baseless, he said.

Mr Paswan’s assertion has come after reports that he will dump the RJD, paving way for his appointment as the Cabinet minister in the Manmohan Singh government.

“Our alliance is as strong as ever. There is no questing of me joining the UPA government. Instead LJP and RJD will together play the role of opposition at the Centre and state in a forceful way. We are already lined up with joint programmes which we will launch soon to expose the failures of the Nitish Kumar government” Mr Paswan told reporters here on Thursday.

Categorically denying that he was vying for a ministerial berth, Mr Paswan said he had spoken to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “Both Gandhi and Ahmed Patel had rung me up to offer birthday wishes to me. But beyond that or anything related to my inclusion in the Union Cabinet was not discussed,” the LJP chief said.

Maintaining that RJD-LJP alliance was not reaching out to Congress, Mr Paswan said it is for Congress to decide whether it wanted to forge an alliance with the duo. As far as our alliance is concerned, it is powerful enough to defeat NDA in the coming state assembly elections.

We will be fighting elections to form the next government, while Congress will be fighting for revival,“ remarked Mr Paswan adding that both he and RJD chief Lalu Prasad will be on a 9-day joint tour of North Bihar from July 16.

Mr Prasad was dismayed when reports said that Paswan would be accommodated in the Union Cabinet. “ It is a political conspiracy to break the RJD-LJP alliance. I have had talks with Paswanji; there is no truth in the reports. He is more focused on the assembly elections instead of accepting a ministerial position in the UPA government,” remarked Mr Prasad.