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Despite the massive setback suffered by his Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Ramvilas Paswan remains unfazed. Ruling out his resignation from the Union Council of Ministers, he says since he has completed the tougher task of dislodging from power Lalu Prasad`s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which had a 30 per cent vote base in Bihar, it is only a matter of snapping his fingers to finish off Nitish Kumar, the new Chief Minister of the State. "He has no vote base of his own and can be eliminated in no time." Excerpts from an interview he gave Purnima S. Tripathi in New Delhi:
Do you hold yourself responsible for the formation of a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar? Were you instrumental in dividing the secular vote by opposing the RJD?
No, I don't hold myself responsible for the installation of the NDA government. The people of Bihar wanted to change the regime and they saw an alternative in Nitish Kumar. But it is not a vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party or the NDA. It is an anti-Lalu Prasad vote, which has manifested itself in the form of victory for the NDA. This verdict is not a vote for communal forces. This verdict is a victory for the people of Bihar who for the first time voted in a free and fair election to dislodge a corrupt regime.
The present dispensation includes the BJP, which is a communal party. Do you see communalism rearing its head in Bihar? Is there pressure on you to resign from the Council of Ministers because of this?
The BJP is a communal party, there is no doubt about that. But the BJP is not a force to reckon with in Bihar. Bihar is not a communal State. Here the caste line works, but not the communal line because people are essentially secular. So I don't see any threat from communalism in Bihar. Regarding pressure on me to resign, I'm not worried about that because I keep my resignation letter ready all the time. I was the only one to resign from the NDA government on the issue of the Gujarat riots. But there needs to be a debate within the United Progressive Alliance on what secularism means. Does it mean only Rabri Devi and Lalu Prasad? Lalu Prasad has always weakened other secular parties such as the Congress and the Communist Party of India in the past. He has always used the concept of secularism to further the rule of his family. If he was so secular, why did he not agree to my proposal of a Muslim Chief Minister? Is Rabri Devi more important than the entire Muslim community?
But the fact remains that because of your stand, communal forces have come to power in Bihar?
It is no big deal to eliminate Nitish Kumar. He can be eliminated with the snap of a finger because he has no vote base of his own. The tougher job was to dislodge Lalu Prasad who commanded a 30 per cent vote base. Now that this has been achieved, Nitish Kumar will start feeling the heat in six months. Do you think the sort of coalition he is leading will allow him to fulfil his election promises? Can he provide reservation for Dalit Muslims or the Most Backward Castes [MBCs]? Can he improve law and order, given the fact that he has so many criminals in his party? It is a crown of thorns that Nitish Kumar is wearing. Just wait and watch. Besides, if anyone is responsible for the formation of the NDA government, it is the Congress. Had the Congress joined hands with me in February [during the Assembly elections] we would have been able to form the government. Even after the elections, the Congress could have persuaded Lalu Prasad to agree to my Muslim Chief Minister proposal. I had made it clear to Soniaji after the Lok Sabha elections itself that I would not fight the Assembly elections with Lalu Prasad. The Congress did not support Lalu Prasad in February [Assembly elections] but it also did not join me, leading to a confused verdict then. The Congress was responsible for the dissolution of the Assembly in May, under pressure from Lalu Prasad. They were hoping that the Yadav-Muslim magic would work for them, without realising that it had lost its charm.
Your Muslim Chief Minister formula did not work for you this time. What next?
Even if it never works I will still raise it because for me this is a mission. I will keep raising it, even if there is not even a 1 per cent Muslim vote for me.
Do you feel you will become marginalised in Bihar politics?
No, even if I have not won too many seats, my vote share has gone up. My base vote of 14-15 per cent is intact. This can change the course of any election. I have no reasons to worry.
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