Date:03/01/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/01/03/stories/2005010303351300.htm

Other States - Bihar

NDA asks Nitish to talk to Paswan

By K. Balchand

PATNA, JAN. 2. Fighting shy of directly approaching the Lok Janshakti Party, the National Democratic Alliance has deputed the senior leader of the Janata Dal (United), Nitish Kumar, to explore the possibility of an alliance with the LJP for the Assembly elections.

According to the BJP vice-president, S. K. Modi, the party chief, L.K. Advani, has requested Mr. Nitish Kumar to talk to the LJP leader, Ram Vilas Paswan.

Asked if the BJP was trying to steer clear of the LJP in view of Mr. Paswan's apathy towards it, Mr. Modi said the NDA had vested the responsibility on Mr. Kumar on the issue to take on the Rashtriya Janata Dal-led alliance in the State.

He said the matter would be "settled" within the next couple of days, ahead of the BJP initiating the process of selection of candidates and finalising seat-sharing arrangements with its allies.

Till now Mr. Paswan has been saying that he would have nothing to do with parties having a link with either the BJP or the RJD in the State and that he would go it alone.

Mr. Paswan's effort has been to wean away Mr. Kumar from the NDA and jointly contest the elections.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) general secretary, Deepankar Bhattacharya, renewed his appeal to both the LJP and the JD(U) to break free from their respective alliances and join forces with the newly-floated third front in the State.