By IANS
Patna : Top leaders of central minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), addressing a large party rally here Wednesday, saw a future prime minister in the Dalit leader.
LJP members of parliament Surajbhan Singh, Ramchandra Paswan, legislators Rama Singh, Maheshwar Prasad Singh, former central minister Sanjay Paswan, former LJP state president Ghulam Rasool Balyawi and former parliamentarian Arun Kumar told the supporters at the Sankalp (Resolution) Rally that Ram Vilas Paswan would be the first Dalit prime minister of the country.
Paswan, minister of chemicals and fertilizers and minister of steel, told the supporters: “LJP will contest the next Lok Sabha elections on its own. We will not tie up with any one.”
He, however, added: “LJP is ready to go it alone – if any one wants to tie up with us, we will think of it.”
In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, LJP had allied with the Congress and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), resulting in a clear-cut victory of their United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in Bihar.
Paswan also asked party workers to gear up for the next general elections.
In a bid to woo the upper castes, he advocated job reservation for the economically backward among them.
He questioned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s claim of good governance and said no development work was taking place in the state.
As many as 27 special trains brought thousands of LJP supporters to Patna for the rally that reminded many of the similar show of strength organised here by the RJD last month.