RJD, LJP insulted Congress: Moily

NEW DELHI: The spat between the Congress and its partners in the government, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), went up a notch Friday, with the Congress spokesperson accusing them of "insulting" it over seat-sharing in Bihar.

"We should be more angry. We never wronged them... It's only Paswan (Ram Vilas Paswan of LJP) and Laluji (Lalu Prasad of RJD) for reasons best known to them, they left us only two seats," Moily told reporters here.

The RJD and LJP chiefs, key members of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), seem to be annoyed over Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's praise of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

The Congress' ties with the RJD as well as the LJP have been strained to the breaking point over seat-sharing in Bihar. Rahul Gandhi's comments about Nitish Kumar added to the tensions.

But the Congress was now in a fighting mood. "They left us only two out of 40 seats in Bihar. A national party like the Congress party can't gulp this kind of insult," said Moily.

He added that had there been "harmonious discussions" before the elections, "the situation would not have come to this".

Moily also had harsh words for the Bihar chief minister after wooing him. Unhappy over Nitish Kumar's rebuff to the Congress, Moily said that he "thinks too much of himself". "He will regret staying with BJP. We are not reaching out to him".

Lalu Prasad and Paswan, meanwhile, decided to skip Friday's cabinet meeting.

In Kolkata, Paswan said he was skipping the cabinet meeting as he had a previously scheduled election meeting in the West Bengal capital. "Moreover, there was no agenda of my ministry (in the cabinet meeting)," he added.

Denying any tensions over Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Nitish Kumar, Paswan said: "The Congress has already clarified what Rahulji wanted to say. I am with the UPA. LJP, RJD is with the UPA. And we will remain with UPA."

The steel minister added that any overtures by the Congress and the Left to Nitish Kumar will be unsuccessful. "What is the reality? Nitish kumar is with the BJP. And if anybody wants to talk with Nitish, then first he has to leave the BJP. I don't think that he will leave BJP."