Bhopal: LJP chief Paswan said that his party’s commitment to secularism and socialism remain unchanged.
The alliance with BJP happened as “there was no option left for us” after Congress and RJD “humiliated” the party, he said.
Detailing the circumstances which forced him to join NDA, Paswan said that while RJD leaders were talking about giving only two or three seats to LJP, despite his best efforts and a meeting with Sonia Gandhi, Congress did not take the initiative to sew together a workable Congress-RJD-LJP alliance in Bihar.
LJP general secretary Abdul Khaliq and himself till the last moment kept withstanding “pressure” from the rank and file of the party for aligning with BJP, Paswan said.
“When we put these demands before BJP, we got a positive response and hence the decision (to ally with BJP),” he said.
Athavale said that his Republican Party of India would “walk out” of NDA if attempts were made to induct Raj Thackeray’s MNS into the BJP-led alliance.
“If a decision is taken to bring Thackeray into NDA, RPI will walk out of it. There is no need in Maharashtra to bring Raj Thackeray,” he said.
Former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari had met Thackeray in Maharashtra a few days back and asked him not to divide the anti-UPA votes.
NDA ally Shiv Sena has attacked Gadkari over the meeting.
