‘Am Steel Minister, MLAs made of steel too’

‘‘I am the Steel Minister and my MLAs are also made of steel. There is no question of dissidence or my MLAs siding with RJD. The reports are false,’’ he said, adding that RJD chief and Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav has been calling some of his partymen.

Paswan tried to put up a brave front dismissing reports of dissidence but he could not deny the ‘‘sense of restlessness’’ among MLAs over the present imbroglio.

‘‘MLAs are putting pressure on their respective parties — let any party deny it… so that they can take oath and get their salaries, benefits and privileges. Genuine pareshaani hain,’’ admitted Paswan.

In the same breath he asserted that he was not championing the cause of Muslims in Bihar for ‘‘politics, but out of commitment’’ and that, ‘‘if there’s no Muslim chief minister (in Bihar), there would no chief minister.’’

Besides Ghafoor Khan, ‘‘why no Muslim has never been made a chief minister,’’ Paswan said, claiming he has a solution to the Bihar crisis. ‘‘We have a formula, we’ll disclose it when the time comes. Now, there should be President’s Rule for at least three months.’’

However, a Muslim candidate from RJD was unacceptable, he added. ‘‘Hindu ho ya Musalman, we’ll not support an RJD candidate for chief minister’s post. They have already elected Rabri (Devi), so where is the question of them putting up a Muslim CM?’’

He even released a booklet on ‘Significance of Muslim-Dalit Unity’ and their representation in the democratic set up and discussed the issue with Muslim intellectuals from Jamia Millia Islamia University, JNU and social organisations.

Talking about Dalit-Muslim unity, he said LJP would start a movement to get political and social justice for the two communities. ‘‘Muslims and Dalits are suffering from growing discrimination in the political and economic domain of the country and we will vigorously fight against this,’’ he said.