The BJP in Bihar stitched an important alliance with Rashtriya lok Samata Party (RlSP) on Friday amid a buzz that some leaders of the lJP, headed by chief Ram Vilas Paswan, were working to form a formidable BJP-lJP tie-up in the State.
The announcement of BJP-RlSP alliance came after months of negotiation between the two parties. The BJP hopes that RlSP, led by former MP Upendra Kushwaha, will play a crucial role in wooing the powerful backward caste votes. The RlSP would contest on three seats out of 40 in Bihar. RlSP leaders Upendra Kushwaha and Arun Kumar announced the alliance in presence of State BJP chief Mangal Pandey and senior party leaders Sushil Kumar Modi, Nand Kishore Yadav, Giriraj Singh and others.
Amid speculations that the lJP chief is inching closer to the BJP, Sushil Modi came out in support of the lJP chief and alleged that the UPA Government was misusing the CBI against him in the alleged recruitment scam in a public sector. Earlier, it was reported that Paswan too came under the radar of the CBI in a scam pertaining to recruitment of middle and junior level employees in Bokaro Steel Plant. Paswan was then the Union Minister for Chemical, Steel and Fertliser.
Coming to the defence of Paswan, Sushil Modi said, “We strongly condemn the UPA Government for misusing the CBI against political adversaries, this time against Paswan.” He added that the Congress had started harassing the lJP chief after their efforts to cobble up an alliance with him fell apart. However, Modi refused to comment on possibility of any tie-up with Paswan, but said nothing could be ruled out in politics.” But, a senior lJP leader and close aide of Paswan reportedly told mediapersons that the alliance between lJP and BJP has been sealed and “it will be only a matter of time that it is to be officially announced”.
Paswan had been trying hard for a RJD-Congress-lJP alliance in Bihar, but after lukewarm response from the Congress, he might have been forced to look for other options.However, grapevine has it that Paswan was not ready with the number of seats both the Congress and RJD were offering him to contest the upcoming lS poll and that has been proving a major stumbling block in the possible poll tie-up. Meanwhile, in Delhi, Dalit activist Udit Raj is set to join the BJP on Monday. He has been actively involved in encouraging conversion from Hindu to Buddhism and has been a vocal critic of the BJP.