Paswan snaps ties with RJD

Formally severing ties with RJD’s Laloo Prasad Yadav, Lok Janashakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan today said his party would contest all 243 seats in the Assembly elections due early next year. At a convention here to mark JD(U) leader Satish Kumar’s crossover to the LJP, Paswan was all praise for the Congress, hinting he would like an alliance with the party.

Maintaining his calm during the meet, Paswan left it to brother, Ramchander Paswan, and other MPs to heap abuses on Laloo Yadav. ‘‘Every rapist, murderer and kidnapper in Bihar gets protection from the Chief Minister’s residence,’’ state party chief Narender Singh said while Ramchander exhorted the cadre to end the ‘‘misrule’’ in Bihar.

Paswan said both BJP and Laloo Yadav have gained mileage out of the secular, non-secular debate, but not any more. ‘‘This time around, the fight will be between Laloo’s secular party and our secular party. I will not do any thing that would encourage communal forces,’’ he said.

Paswan’s announcement came hardly as a surprise, as his relations with Laloo Yadav had soured soon after the Lok Sabha elections, with the RJD chief pipping him to the race to the Railway Ministry. Without naming Laloo Yadav, Paswan said: ‘‘Those who are frustrated talk indecent. I will not talk their language. I won’t even use the word jungle raj.’’