Coming full circle, Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP, which left NDA in 2002, is all set to align with BJP in Bihar for Lok Sabha polls, giving a jolt to Congress' plans to have a "secular" alliance with LJP and RJD.
The alliance between BJP and LJP is likely to be announced in a couple of days as the party's Parliamentary Board authorised Paswan to take a final decision in this regard and did not hide its bitterness towards Lalu Prasad's RJD.
"LJP Parliamentary Board has passed a resolution that all steps, even if they are strong ones, should be taken in the interest of the party and if an alternative alliance is to be firmed up, party chief Ram Vilas Paswan should take the decision", Chirag Paswan, who heads the Parliamentary Board, told reporters.
He said that there was a "deadlock" on the issue of alliance between RJD-Congress and LJP.
To a question whether LJP will tie-up with BJP, he said that "all options are now open for the LJP".
The LJP chief said members in the Parliamentary Board were of the opinion that the option of going with BJP should also be kept open.
Ram Vilas Paswan said :"We had our grievances with RJD for a long time. I had even gone to meet Lalu Prasad in jail. But soon after he was out, RJD leaders started saying LJP should be given three seats. That is why we left to Congress to decide the seat sharing. I waited for months, but there was no decision."
"They assumed that LJP is nothing, it is irrelevant. If one takes 25 seats (RJD) and the other 15 (Cong). It means they do not treat LJP as part of the alliance.... That is why the party has authorised me to explore new alternative".
