PATNA, 2 March 2005 — Bhartiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance(NDA) yesterday asked Bihar Governor Buta Singh not to entertain any claim by Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD) for forming the next government in the state. An NDA delegation led by BJP state president Gopal Narayan Singh and his Janata Dal-U counterpart Vijendra Yadav called on the governor yesterday.

The delegation submitted a letter to the governor, requesting him to decline if the RJD staked its claim as “an overwhelming majority of MLAs are dead against extending support to Lalu Prasad’s party”.

Rubbishing the claim of the RJD president that his party should be invited first for government formation as it had emerged as the single largest party, the NDA delegation urged the governor to consult it before taking any decision on the issue.

“We have also requested the governor that the NDA with 92 MLAs, besides assured support of 10 independents, is the obvious choice to be invited by him to form the government first and prove the majority in the state assembly,” said Sushil Kumar Modi, BJP vice president.

He said the LJP of Ram Vilas Paswan with 29 MLAs, Samajwadi Party with four and several independents were also averse to formation of an RJD-led government.

“We have also mentioned in our letter that more than 145 out of 243 MLAs are dead against formation of an RJD-led government and in the given situation, it will be unconstitutional to entertain RJD’s claim,” he said.

Meanwhile, caretaker Chief Minister Rabri Devi has been re-elected as the leader of RJD Legislative Party yesterday evening.

Later in the day, the Bahujan Samaj Party decided to extend support to a “secular government” led either by the RJD or any other combination in Bihar. BSP General Secretary Azad Gandhi told reporters that BSP supremo Mayawati had written a letter to Governor Buta Singh extending her party’s support to a secular government.