Patna: The war of words between UPA partners RJD and Congress escalated with Pranab Mukherjee accusing Lalu Prasad Yadav of using the Congress as a “doormat” and doubting whether he will even become a minister after the elections.
“Who will form the government? BJP, NDA or the Third Front or Lalu? Leave alone forming the government, it has become difficult for Lalu to become even a minister because he is with nobody. He was with us, we respected him, valued him even before he joined the government... lekin woh humko dhokha diya (he betrayed us)” Mukherjee told an election rally in Samastipur. He recalled that NDA was once “ready” to dismiss Lalu’s government when he was Bihar Chief Minister and only the Congress supported him. “But if he thinks Congress is a doormat, then Congress will not accept this,” he said.
Lalu hit back, saying “Can the Congress form the next government on it own? Time will tell who will form the government, who will remain, who will leave. Let the elections get over.”
Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar told CNN-IBN “Manmohan Singh is most respected and has been projected by his party. Unfortunately, he is not the UPA candidate for PM. We have to finalise a name after elections. It can be Manmohan Singh... I don’t think the Third Front will be able to select somebody as PM.”
He said Left parties would be the key to UPA government formation. “UPA and its partners should have a good rapport with the Left Front... We could reach the magic figure (in 2004) only because we got support from the Left,” Pawar said.
On an umbrella coalition, Pawar said his efforts will be to get Lalu, Ram Vilas Paswan and SP on board again. “My assessment is that with just the old partners, it (UPA) will not be able to form the next government. We need more support from secular forces... It will be my effort to bring old secular friends together... Lalu, Paswan and SP are secular forces and they will not join NDA.”
