New Delhi, May 08: Apparently sulking over
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi`s praise of Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar, Union Ministers Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan
on Friday night skipped a meeting of the union cabinet chaired by
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The RJD and LJP leaders did not turn up for the
meeting which decided to revoke the President`s rule in
Meghalaya.
While Prasad was in Patna, Paswan, who along with RJD
and Samajwadi Party formed a "Fourth Front" after seat-sharing
arrangement with Congress for Lok Sabha polls failed, was busy
campaigning in Kolkata.
For the record, Paswan said he could not attend the
meeting due to prior engagement.
"I have not skipped the cabinet meeting. I was not
able to attend it because my programme in Kolkata was already
scheduled," he said in the West Bengal capital.
Asked whether RJD and LJP are drifting away from UPA,
Paswan said "there is no question of drifting. We are already
part of UPA and will remain in UPA."
Denying any "misunderstanding" between Congress andRJD
and LJP in the wake of Gandhi`s praise of Kumar, Paswan said
"there is no misunderstanding because Congress has already
clarified what Rahul meant to say."
While Lalu stayed away, his party colleagues P C Gupta
and Raghuvansh Prasad attended the cabinet meeting.
Bureau Report
