News Politics National Lalu meets Sonia Gandhi, offers alliance in Bihar

Lalu meets Sonia Gandhi, offers alliance in Bihar

New Delhi: RJD chief Lalu Prasad today met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and later vowed not to repeat the 2009 mistake of allowing breakdown of alliance with Congress.After the nearly 10-minute meeting, Prasad said Gandhi



"I will not allow communal forces to occupy power at any cost..That is my dream....," Prasad told reporters.

The RJD chief, who expressed regret over break-up of the tie-up with Congress in 2009 due to his mistake of offering only three seats to Congress, said the error will not be repeated this time.

LJP and RJD had fought 2009 Lok Sabha elections separately without alliance with Congress and as a result while RJD could win only four seats, Congress two and LJP failed to open its account. This was in stark contrast to their having together won 29 seats in 2004 Lok Sabha polls.

Invoking the allegory of the Mahabharata, Prasad said "that time Congress had demanded only five villages. It was a mistake we did not give. Now, this will not be repeated...Our alliance is already with LJP and Congress. I had committed the mistake".

Amid indications that LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan is peeved at RJD undermining his party this time and repeatedly talking of giving it less seats, Prasad said "I am not angry... I am not angry with Paswan or anybody else... We are together.."

In the backdrop of reports that Paswan is warming up to Nitish Kumar's JD(U), Prasad said, "if suppose somebody does not have to come, let them remain where they are....I am with Congress...."