Congress sidelining smaller outfits: Lalu Prasad (Lead)

In an obvious attack on former ally the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad has accused national level parties of trying to marginalise regional outfits to deny power to the deprived.

"Delhi listens only to people with power. As small and regional parties like the RJD performed badly in the last Lok Sabha polls, there is no representation of Bihar in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre," Lalu Prasad told party workers at his party's two-day national executive meet that ended here Thursday.

Lalu Prasad said that small and regional parties would join hands across India to wrest power from powerful national parties.

He said there was a nefarious design to marginalise leaders like him in Bihar, Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh and Sharad Pawar in Maharashtra.

Lalu Prasad said the UPA had a common minimum programme to follow from 2004 to 2009. But now, in its second tenure, the UPA has nothing more than a 100-day target.

"As a result, prices have touched a record high, unemployment is rising like never before, farmers have been pushed to the wall, and common people have no access to health and education," he said.

Lalu Prasad's attack comes ahead of next year's assembly polls, with political analysts saying there is little possibility of the Congress joining hands with him and his ally Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party.

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( 248 Words)

2009-11-05-16:26:36 (IANS)

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