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Laloo arrives in Delhi, Congress will drive a hard bargain

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav's arrival in the national capital today for vital talks with the Congress party, will test his political calibre to the hilt. He is bracing himself for the inevitable quid pro quo, the hefty pound of flesh, which the Congress is demanding in exchange of support for the RJD-led alliance's efforts at government formation in Bihar.

"Our leadership feels that the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP should be kept out of power in Bihar and that is why we have invited Laloo Prasad Yadav to come here for talks," pointed out senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee. "But obviously, he will have to sort out some matters about which we feel strongly," he said.

Mukherjee's reference to his party's "strong feelings" pertains to the growing realisation in the central Congress leadership that a hard bargain has to be struck with the RJD chief for extending support to him in Bihar.

Congress activists pointed out that the leadership was likely to insist that the RJD alliance support a Congress government in Bihar for the first six months if the Congress-RJD deal were to come about.

This gains credence in light of the fact that the Bihar Congress chief Sadanand Singh has accompanied Laloo Yadad to the national capital.

Significantly, it was Singh who had told the Congress high command a few days ago that it should insist that the RJD-led alliance a Congress government in Bihar since Yadav was in no position to reject such a proposal.

Laloo's desperation stems from the reality that although both his wife, Rabri Devi and the NDA chief ministerial candidate Nitish Kumar have staked their respective claim for forming the government, the rival camp, as of now, seems to be better placed.

While the RJD has submitted a list of 126 members to the Bihar governor Vinod Pande, Nitish Kumar's list contains 146: the alliance's 122 members plus 12 of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha legislators and 12 independents.

But Yadav is hopeful that he will be able to swing the 23 Congress MLAs to his alliance, which then takes the figure to 149. He has also asserted that he has the support of quite a few independents.

Late yesterday evening, the Congress Working Committee met to discuss the Bihar incharge Mohsina Kidwai's statement that Yadav had asked her to use her good offices to cement the RJD-Congress alliance.

It is learnt that the RJD chief had indicated to Kidwai that he was willing to consider the Congress's pre-conditions because the "communal forces led by the BJP" had to be kept at bay in Bihar.

However, NDA leaders appear unfazed by these developments in the rival camp.

"Why are you getting excited, I told you that the NDA will be forming the government in Bihar, no matter what Laloo and his discredited Congress ally do," Sharad Yadav, the Janata Dal-United chief rediff.com this morning. "The very fact that Laloo is coming to Delhi to talk to the Congress shows how desperate these two parties have become."

Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitley sounded equally emphatic. "Don't underestimate the NDA, we too have aces up our sleeve," she said. "Nitish Kumar is not sitting idle in Patna. We will form the government in Bihar."

Nitish Kumar had already met several independent legislators in Patna in a bid to enlist their support.

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