Nitish-Lalu ego clash to bring mid-term poll, predicts Paswan

In a move to boost morale of his party workers, Paswan asked them to forget poll reversal & get on with the task of strengthening the party in Bihar

LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan today said the Grand Alliance (GA) will not complete its full term and force a mid-term poll in Bihar due to ego clash between its top leaders, a reference to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad.

"The Grand Alliance may have won a landslide mandate in the polls, but its government will not complete its full term as the egos of its leaders are bound to clash soon plunging Bihar into a political crisis followed by mid-term polls," Paswan told reporters on the sidelines of his party's 15th foundation day celebrations.

RJD, JD(U) and Congress had not forged the alliance on the basis of principle, and, as a result of which, egos of top leaders are bound to clash sooner than later, he said.

The Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister, however, chose not to offer any comment on inclusion of Prasad's sons, Tejaswi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav as number two and three ministers respectively in the Nitish Kumar ministry.

On Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's announcement to ban liquor in Bihar from April 1 next year, he hailed the step, but asked the former as to how will he compensate the people over deaths in family or financial losses due to sale and consumption of liquor over the past decade.

On the debacle of the NDA which won only 58 seats against the GA's 178 in the polls, Paswan maintained his earlier stand that it was not the defeat of the BJP-led coalition, but that of the people of Bihar as the NDA had contested on the sole agenda of development of the state.

In a move to boost morale of his party workers, Paswan asked them to forget poll reversal and get on with the task of strengthening the party in Bihar.

Paswan's son Chirag, who heads the LJP parliamentary board, also addressed the media and said that the NDA lost the Bihar Assembly polls as the positive mood in its favour since the general elections last year waned steadily.

Describing the new GA government as 'old wine in new bottle', he said that people should not pin great hopes on the Nitish Kumar government as it will not be able to deliver on its various promises.