Paswan skips RJD meeting
LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Saturday skipped his ally RJD’s grand public meeting chaired by Lalu Prasad Yadav in Chapra despite a pre-scheduled programme to attend it. The dalit leader’s absence disappointed many RJD leaders and sparked off rumours that Mr Paswan may be drifting apart.
Even as LJP leaders claimed Mr Paswan’s sudden sickness prevented him from attending the RJD’s high-voltage public meeting organised to induct senior JD(U) leader Prabhunath Singh and two JD(U) MLAs, strong statements made by a senior LJP legislator on Saturday hinted at the rifts between the RJD and the LJP widening due to disagreements over sharing of seats for the Assembly polls.
“We are still sticking to the number of seats we want to contest in alliance with the RJD. If that does not happen, we may certainly reconsider our alliance with the RJD,” said LJP legislator Izhar Ahmed in Patna. He had earlier said that some RJD leaders were putting “unacceptable pressures” on several LJP leaders, including him, to shift to other constituencies.
Mr Izhar said the LJP’s “outstanding performance” in dozens of Assembly seats in the two Assembly polls in 2005 must be taken note of while deciding on the number of seats the two parties would finally contest.
Mr Paswan has been reportedly bitter ever since the seat-sharing talks failed to turn in favour of the LJP.
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