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Laloo may contest assembly poll

Soroor Ahmed in Patna

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav on Friday indicated for the first time that he may contest the coming Bihar assembly election.

To a pointed question from rediff.com during a media conference, he first said, '' Pahle ladwa lene dijye tab laden ge (first let me lead them to the battlefield, only then will I contest).'' However, when pressed further, he reacted, ''Kya chahte ham berozgar rahen (What do you want? Should I remain unemployed?)'' However, he refused to spell out his plans. '''Sab abhi puch lijye ga (will you people ask all the questions just now?)''

The media was taken by surprise when Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechuri made an appearance at the media conference. The two leaders jointly released a list of 21 assembly segments where the CPI-M would be fighting in alliance with the RJD.

Laloo said that talks with other parties are going on for the remaining 303 seats and it was because of this reason that the first list could not be released. It would be released on Saturday evening.

Yechuri, on his part, regretted that the attitude of the CPI leaders was quite ambivalent. "Though their central leaders still think that the BJP is enemy number one, yet by contesting separately they are only making the communal forces powerful. We have still kept our doors open," he declared.

The CPI-M leader said the CPI damaged the Left unity by unilaterally nominating their candidates from the seats which we won last time.

Political observers are of the view that Laloo Yadav wants to fight the election. For, if his party is voted out of power, his claim for the leader of the opposition in the state assembly would not be affected in case he wins an assembly seat. The leader of the opposition enjoys the status of a cabinet rank minister. As Chief Minister Rabri Devi is only a member of the legislative council, Laloo would lose all the facilities if the RJD does not return to power.

Though the RJD did not release the assembly election candidates' list on Friday, it is learnt that the candidates have already been selected and privately informed about the decision. Some of them have even filed their nomination papers on Friday.

Meanwhile, RJD MP Nagmani, who was in a rebellious mood on Thursday night, appears to have reconciled.

He wanted three seats for a person close to him and had a heated exchange with the RJD chief. He even called a media conference at a restaurant on Friday evening. But when the newsmen gathered at the venue yesterday, none of his men were present.

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