Laloo seeks to drive hard bargains

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Yadav has kept the Congress, Lok Janshakti and Left parties on tenterhooks on the issue of seat sharing.

“Ranchi ka aadmi Karachi se ticket mangega to kaise chalega?" In his typical earthy manner RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav summed up his response to what he perhaps thought were some unreasonable demands for seats from potential allies in Bihar.

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Laloo has kept the Congress, Lok Janshakti and Left parties on tenterhooks on the issue. And, in a “take it or leave it’’ move, he might continue to do so till close to the last date of nominations on March 24. “He wants to beat down everyone’s demands,’’ said a leader. But Laloo stressed that the “rightful demands’’ of the allies would be kept in mind.

Clearly, Laloo doesn’t believe that the Congress or Lok Janshakti’s demands are “rightful.’’ Sources say he will not give more half a dozen seats to the Congress, about three or four to Ram Vilas Paswan’s party and one each to the CPI, CPI-M and the NCP. Meanwhile, the CPI has gone ahead and announced four candidates in the state.

While the Congress has sitting MPs in Aurangabad and Begusarai, Madhubani and Maharajganj are the other two seats that might come to it. Paswan and his brother hold the Rosera and Hajipur. He also wants Bagha, reportedly for his wife, as well as Purnea.The CPI-M has a sitting MP in Bhagalpur. But it wants another four or five seats, including Samastipur and Nawada.

Laloo said he will meet Sonia Gandhi “if need be.’’ On Tuesday, he met CPI-M’s Harkishan Singh Surjeet. CPI-M’s Sitaram Yechury called on Sonia.