A senior Janata Dal (United) leader and State Minister on Saturday hinted at the possibility of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress joining the JD(U) government in Bihar.
Speaking to reporters here, Bihar Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shravan Kumar said: “We go to their (RJD and Congress) houses in functions and they come to ours. Where is the veil or difference between us then? We have to take them with us in future also.”
“We will take both (RJD and Congress) in every work because we are working together. If they are supporting us everywhere then what is wrong if they take part in the government too,” Mr Kumar added.
Both RJD and Congress are already supporting the Jitan Ram Manjhi government in the State, and are part of the grand alliance that contested the recently held Assembly by-polls on 10 seats and won six of them by limiting BJP to four.
Support of the RJD and the Congress not only helped Mr. Manjhi sail through the confidence vote, but also allowed the JD(U) win the by-polls to three Rajya Sabha seats in June this year against a stiff challenge put up by candidates supported by dissident party legislators and BJP MLAs.
The grand alliance of the JD(U), RJD, Congress has also decided to go together into Assembly elections scheduled next year.
Meanwhile, Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Ashok Kumar Chaudhary said he will discuss the proposal of joining the State government with the party high command if it comes “officially” from the JD(U).
“We will discuss the matter with party high command if such an offer comes officially to us. It will be a decision involving our party policy and only the high command will decide whether we have to join the government or not,” he said.
Meanwhile, a senior RJD leader said: “If an offer to join the government comes, we will honour it, but the final decision in this regard will be taken by our national president Lalu Prasad.”
The RJD leader said Mr Prasad was still recuperating in Mumbai after his heart surgery and any decision on joining the State government will be taken only when he feels better and returns to Patna.
