Paswan ready to take Lalu's help in Bihar

In a sharp change of stand aimed at breaking the political deadlock in Bihar, Lok Janshakti Party chief Ramvilas Paswan today said his party was ready to reconsider its opposition to taking support from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the formation of a government if the Congress proposed the name of a Muslim for the post of chief minister.

"If the Congress gives a Muslim candidate for the post of chief minister, we can reconsider our stand on taking the RJD support in the formation of a government in Bihar," said the LJP chief.

The LJP together with the Congress (10), the RJD (79) and the Left parties (15) could be in a position to muster a majority in the 243-member House, if Prasad agrees to the proposal that the chief minister will not be from his party.

It has been an U- turn for Paswan who fought the Bihar Assembly elections on an anti-Lalu plank, and whose differences with Prasad caused grave embarrassment for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

In a dig at the RJD supremo, Paswan said he had taken the new stand to expose those who had exploited Muslims as the vote bank and used the secularism card to remain in power.

Paswan, reportedly under pressure from his 29 MLAs, who are anxious to taste power and at the receiving end of tempting offers made by the Janata Dal (United) and the RJD, also reiterated his earlier stand that he was ready to take the help of the JD(U) for the formation of a government, provided it severed its ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and proposed a Muslim candidate for the chief minister's post.

Paswan is being seen as an stumbling block in the formation of a government.

Paswan is scheduled to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi tomorrow where he would discuss the possible permutation and combinations to install an elected government in Patna.

Paswan said the two new formulae have been evolved on the basis of the feedback from the seven-member LJP committee headed by Ranjan Yadav to explore possible permutation and combinations in the present situation.

In a veiled attack on the RJD, Paswan said there were parties who wanted to impose fresh elections on the state even though none of the MLAs were willing to face the polls.

On the new proposal, the RJD chief said the new formula was similar to the one at the Centre in 1996 when the Congress had supported a minority government headed by the Janata Dal.

Meanwhile, Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh of the RJD, who has already criticised his own party chief for going public with Capart chief LV Saptarishi's letter to Union Law Minister H R Bhardwaj without consulting other UPA allies, said any talk of such permutation and combinations was meaningless, since an alliance such as this had a very low chance of survival.

Singh said he had already presented his views to the RJD chief. After the Saptharishi incident this is the second time that Singh has openly challenged any move being considered by Prasad.

According to Singh, only a snap Assembly poll can decide matters now.

All eyes are now on the RJD chief for the next move in the game for the chief minister's chair in Patna.