After being repeatedly snubbed by the Congress in Bihar, the RJD freshly hopes to have a pre-poll alliance with the national party for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in order to form a grand alliance of secular parties including the left to defeat the “communal forces”.
At a marathon meeting of the RJD’s Bihar leaders held evidently with an eye on the LS polls, party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Saturday hinted at an alliance with the Congress and predicted the defeat of the “communal and fascist forces” led by the BJP. With little hope for matching enthusiasm from Bihar’s Congress leaders for an alliance, Mr Yadav’s open desire evoked mixed feelings among RJD leaders.
“All the secular parties will unite against the communal and fascist forces in time for the Lok Sabha polls, which will be held in due time, and we will defeat the communal front. There is no scope for any third front. We, the UPA, will win. Narendra Modi will be completely rejected by the people,” said Yadav after the three-hour meeting at his residence.
The RJD, Mr Yadav said, saw massive display of public support across Bihar during his phase-wise ‘Parivartan yatra’ tours in the past two months. He said Bihar’s people were fed up with “repeated lies about the state’s development” propagated by the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government.
“Incidents in Bihar like yesterday’s deaths of poor, Mahadalit people by consuming spurious liquor expose the Nitish government’s lies. He earlier justified the sale of liquor by saying it helps fund his scheme of bicycles for schoolgirls. Nitish will have to answer for so much in the coming polls,” said Mr Yadav.
On FDI in multi-brand retail, which Mr Yadav supported despite differing opinions in the RJD, he said: “The Centre had left the FDI decision on the states. Chief ministers like Nitish who oppose FDI in retail now will one day cry for its absence.”
Ms Rabri Devi, Mr Yadav’s wife and a former Bihar CM like him, was present in the meeting which was boycotted by three of the RJD’s four MPs. Mr Yadav, however, said MPs were not invited to this meeting.