The Hindu : Paswan urges Sonia to unite Opposition parties

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2003

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Paswan urges Sonia to unite Opposition parties

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JULY 29. The Lok Janshakti president, Ramvilas Paswan, has urged the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, to take the initiative in bringing the Opposition parties together. ``It is not enough to give statements, she must take concrete steps to bring everybody together,'' Mr. Paswan said.

Mr. Paswan expressed happiness that the Congress had shed its inhibitions on the issue of coalitions and had accepted its necessity. ``They have now accepted the fact that the era of coalitions is here and that no single party can form the government on its own,'' he said at a press conference.

He said that the priority before the Opposition parties should be to unite and defeat the BJP. ``The next general elections are a question of do or die, we must unite to defeat the NDA,'' he asserted.

He also side-stepped the question of which party or leader should lead such a coalition. According to him, these issues ought to be left to the elected representatives. ``There is little point in talking about it now.''

Mr. Paswan cautioned the Opposition parties against falling into the BJP's trap by getting bogged down on the leadership question.

``This is an attempt to divide the Opposition parties; we should not fall for it.''

``I don't have any reservations, all I am concerned about is how we can defeat the BJP,'' he said.

Addressing presspersons ahead of his party's youth convention on Wednesday last, Mr. Paswan demanded that the Government include the right to work as a fundamental one.

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