PM intervenes in Lalu-Paswan spat

The Prime Minister's Office has been receiving a deluge of press clippings detailing the growing feud between Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan.

A Rashtriya Janata Dal minister as well as Paswan supporters have been making sure that neither side is left unrepresented at the PMO, both demanding that action be taken against the other.

So much so that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was forced to "get in touch" with both the ministers, on the first day of the winter session.

While Paswan was told to pipe down his statements against Prasad and Chief Minister Rabri Devi, the RJD leader, who met the Prime Minister later in the evening defended himself by asking Singh to "compare what I have said to what has been said against me."

The two Bihar leaders have turned foes from being friends within the short span of the UPA government's existence. Where once, while presenting the Railway Budget, Prasad jokingly asked Paswan (who was sitting next to him) to hold onto his glasses, the situation is that the two time their entry and exit into the Lok Sabha to avoid each other.

With Prasad threatening a CBI probe against Paswan in a deal for cranes while he was railway minister, the issue has turned the discretion attached to the Cabinet inside out.

The genesis of the feud lies in the distribution of portfolios. Paswan, according to his aides, had his heart set on the railways portfolio, which was "snatched" away by Prasad.

Prasad on his part feels the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) headed by Paswan had been done too many favours by the RJD, especially setting aside eight Lok Sabha constituencies in a seat-sharing pact.

According to a senior RJD minister, Paswan was happy with just four Lok Sabha seats, but was conceded a few more, since Prasad wanted to retain the Munger seat for one of his favourites, Jayprakash Yadav.

"Paswan's strength in the House would have been even less if the bargaining had not got out hand," said the minister. In fact, after the losing out on railways, due to his lack of numerical strength, Paswan and Prasad's relations went from bad to worse.

"Prasad is upset that Paswan, who is in a bargaining position due to his generosity is now challenging him," said the minister. Behind the brave words is also a worry, with Paswan emerging at the centre of a fledgling anti-Lalu coalition during the Bihar Assembly polls.

"Actually, the Janata Dal (United) has been in touch with Paswan and some friendly fights have been decided on, for Prasad, these polls will decide his position in the coalition, since the Congress too is interested in a revival in Bihar, but had to do business through the RJD in the last 14 years," said a senior Congress leader.

The BJP on its part can barely hide its glee at being handed an issue on a platter just at the beginning of the winter session of parliament. "We demand that the Prime Minister ask both ministers to resign as they are behaving in a manner unfit for Cabinet ministers," said BJP spokesman VK Malhotra.