Date:06/10/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/10/06/stories/2005100607761200.htm

National

Paswan stands his ground

Special Correspondent

PATNA: Lok Jan Shakti Party chief and Union Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Wednesday stuck to his stand of having a Muslim as the next Chief Minister of Bihar citing that the Sikhs received justice after 21 years only because Manmohan Singh happened to be the Prime Minister.

Releasing his party's manifesto, Mr. Paswan claimed that only a Muslim Chief Minister could be in a position to render justice to the minorities in the State, charging that they had suffered at the hands of the Rashtriya Janata Dal during the past 15 years.

The LJP chief promised to set up a commission to enquire into all the riots since the Bhagalpur incidents to identify the perpetrators and provide relief to the affected families, including jobs.

Mr. Paswan said only his party could give a clean administration.

He said he would welcome fresh elections till a `government of the poor' assumed office in the State. He said he would support neither the RJD nor the NDA in forming a Government.

He promised to set up a commission for the extremely backward communities to provide reservation exclusively for them. He hoped that the Congress would do the same at the national level. Mr. Paswan also assured reservation for the EBCs in the panchayat system.