Pressure on Paswan as time runs out

In their bid to pressure Paswan, BJP-JD(U) leaders have also started a new tactic—telling him that President’s Rule would only be a continuation of “Laloo raj” since Laloo has now regained Congress support and is a major player at the Centre. ‘‘Our people have pointed out to him that if he wants to liberate Bihar from the Laloo-Rabri regime, then President’s Rule is not the answer. Only an alternative government can do that,’’ a BJP source said.

The pressure on Paswan to agree to an “alternative” government by tomorrow comes in the wake of the “satisfying” meeting NDA leaders had with Bihar governor Buta Singh in Patna today.

The NDA delegation met the governor after Rabri Devi had already formally staked her claim this morning and submitted a list of 91 MLAs supporting her. Laloo Yadav reiterated that since the RJD was the single largest party in the new assembly, it should be invited first.

But NDA leaders claimed that Buta Singh had assured them that he would not invite anyone to form the government unless they had conclusive evidence of majority support—122 MLAs in the 243-member House. However, there was no confirmation for this claim from the Raj Bhavan.

After their meeting with the governor, BJP leader Sushil Modi said, ‘‘We have told the governor that with the support of 92 MLAs we are a step ahead of the RJD. But we will stake claim only when we are sure of getting a majority.’’

A delegation of six independent legislators also met Buta Singh to rule out supporting the RJD. But even if a few—or indeed all—of the 17 independents were to back the JD(U)-BJP alliance, it would not be able to make the half way mark without the LJP.

That is why, leaders and “intermediaries” were busy all day in Patna and Delhi to persuade Paswan to join hands with the NDA. In Delhi, Nitish Kumar, Sharad Yadav and Arun Jaitley discussed strategy while their emissaries in Patna tried to work on “softening” Paswan.

NDA sources said there were voices of dissent in both JD(U) and BJP against “kowtowing” to Paswan but at the end of the day, party leaders realise they have little choice in the matter. Ideally, the JD(U) would like Nitish Kumar to be chief minister because the JD(U) has the largest number—55. And many in the BJP are against giving “outside” support for two reasons: one, the BJP has more MLAs than LJP; and two, it reinforces the BJP’s “untouchable” status that it had shed in the mid-1990s.

But since Paswan will have to break from the UPA and give up his cabinet berth in the Union government, “we have to compensate him with chief ministership,” sources said.

While BJP is hopeful that Paswan will take a decision by tomorrow, the LJP chief himself stuck to his oft-repeated position of equidistance from both RJD and BJP. Even accepting “outside support” from the BJP would amount to a volte face from this position.

One indication that Paswan may not give in to the pressure to join hands with the NDA was his meeting with CPI(ML) general secretary Dipanakr Bhattacharya in Patna this evening.

The meeting acquires significance because the CPI(ML) has also backed Paswan’s formula of a “non-RJD, non-BJP” government. With JD(U) unwilling to break with BJP and the Congress equally unwilling to ditch RJD, that option seems impossible at the moment. But a spell of President’s Rule could open out all kind of possibilities, if Paswan is willing to wait.