NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday said it and the Rashtriya Janata Dal were keen on a broad secular alliance for the Bihar Assembly elections and opened talks with parties which had a similar approach.

"We have exchanged notes and I am awaiting word from Lok Jan Shakti Party president Ram Vilas Paswan to discuss it," AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh told correspondents here after a meeting with RJD chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.

Expressing the hope that the LJP could be part of the alliance, Mr. Singh, who was recently given charge of party affairs in the State, said he had initiated talks with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The Congress would also approach the Samajwadi Party.

Mr. Singh stated the RJD chief was open to the idea of a broad alliance and earlier said "no party (in the secular group) was untouchable," indicating that his party was not averse to having the LJP on board. However, as the LJP had so far taken a rigid posture that it would have no truck with either the RJD or the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress would have to work hard to make it change its stand.

Asked about the RJD projecting Rabri Devi as the chief ministerial candidate, Mr. Singh said: "we are fighting elections on ideological grounds, programmes and policies rather than individuals. Once we get majority, we will apply our mind [to the task of electing a Chief Minister]; we would not like to put the cart before the horse."

To address reservations among the State CPI, he had asked Bihar Congress leaders to speak to CPI leaders in Bihar and also requested Mr. Yadav to do so.

Mr. Singh had met CPI leaders A.B. Bardhan and D. Raja, while Mr. Lalu Prasad was talking to the CPI(M) and NCP leaders.

On the criteria for party ticket, Mr. Singh indicated that those who forfeited deposit in the last three elections would be denied nomination.

The party also decided not to make Pradesh Congress Committee delegates those who had lost deposit in the last three elections. The strength of the new PCC executive would not exceed the limit set by the party constitution.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail