LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan says alliance won't make difference

Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesday slammed the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for entering into an alliance, and said their tie-up will not have any impact on the politics of the state. Paswan also expressed confidence that Narendra Modi will return as Prime Minister after Lok Sabha elections due later this year.

Paswan said, "Mayawati does not have a single seat in Lok Sabha; she has not even opened her account, and yet she talks of making PMs. Even SP has very few seats. How will they decide on the Prime Minister if they don't have enough MPs? he asked, adding that their decision of leaving the Congress out of their alliance would harm their chances.

Paswan, interacting with reporters in Patna on Tuesday, praised the central government for its decision to increase the quota net to include economically backward people. "Even people who weren't happy with reservation are now staunch supporters of the NDA after the announcement of the 10 per cent quota for poor people from the upper castes," he said.

As per the seat-sharing arithmetic, LJP has been allotted six seats in Bihar. Paswan said, "My brother Pashupati Paras is likely to contest from Hajipur as my wife has refused to enter electoral politics and my son Chirag wants to fight from his sitting Jamui seat."