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Journalism of Courage
PATNA, FEB 27: As Congress leaders threatened to rebel and as both the CPI and CPI-ML ruled out support to the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the National Democratic Alliance today began cobbling up a strategy to form a government. One concept doing the rounds is a “secular” government with the BJP supporting it from outside.
With RJD chief Rabri Devi deciding to meet governor Vinod Chandra Pandey tomorrow and stake claim for forming the government, the NDA leaders are hurrying to muster the support from “friendly” parties.
What makes them optimistic is the situation in the Congress which party insiders maintain is on the verge of a rebellion. Any decision to support the RJD may witness a large chunk of Congress legislators forming a new outfit on the lines of Uttar Pradesh’s LCP.
According to sources, at least 19 newly elected leaders are opposed to any alliance with the RJD. Only Manoj Yadav and Furkan Ansari are said to be in favour of supporting the RJD.
A secret meeting of the Congress even resolved to form a separate group inside the House instead of bowing to the dictat of the central leadership.
Meanwhile, the NDA leaders have begun working on a “secular” government headed by Nitish Kumar — aimed at bringing in the dissident Congressmen. The proposed new government will have representatives of the Congress, JD(U), Samata and JMM and the BJP will support it from outside.
Senior state BJP leaders who had a secret conclave, with this proposal on agenda, are quite enthusiastic about the move. The JMM, it seems, does not have any problem with this arrangement.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Laloo Prasad Yadav said he was in contact with some leaders and was trying to collect the required numbers. He was hopeful that he would be able to complete the task in a couple of days.
The move to elect Rabri Devi as the legislative party leader seems to indicate that Laloo is not sure of mustering the numbers. Otherwise, he would have preferred to be the leader himself.
The decision to elect Rabri Devi as the leader was taken at an informal meeting of the RJD legislators held at Laloo’s residence. His main target group, the Congress, today ruled out support to the RJD. Working president of the state Congress, Ram Jatan Sinha, today rejected the request.
The state executive of the CPI described him as the “epitome of corruption” and decided not to support his move to form the government. The state secretary of CPI, Jalaluddin Ansari, said that they were not going to be confused by his slogan of communalism.
CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya also made it clear that they would not support the RJD and would prefer to play the role of a constructive communist opposition.
