File Photo: RJD chief Lalu Prasad with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav (Press Trust of India)
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which was first to pull out of the 'grand alliance' in poll-bound Bihar, today supported the decision of the Samajwadi Party (SP) to storm out of it saying it was making efforts to forge a third front of smaller parties in the state.
"They (SP) have taken a right decision," NCP General Secretary Tariq Anwar said in Patna.
Mr Anwar, who is Lok Sabha member from Katihar, said that with Mulayam Singh Yadav walking out of the alliance "the efforts to bring back splinter parties into Janata Parivar have virtually come to an end."
After NCP walked out of the alliance, their 3 seats were given to SP along with two others from RJD quota totaling five, which they refused.
The NCP leader, whose party left the alliance over being ignored in seat-sharing, said JD(U), RJD and Congress were virtually monopolising the grand secular alliance by "unilaterly" distributing large number of seats among themselves even without consulting NCP and SP.
"Sometimes we are blamed for weakening secular alliance by walking out but its not true. We are forced to do this due to monopolistic approach of JD(U), RJD and Congress," he said.
The NCP leader said his party would love to enter into a tie-up with the SP after today's development.
"Earlier I had talks with SP Bihar chief and he had expressed agreement to be together. But, after today's development I do not know what will be their approach, but we'll welcome if they come with us," he said.
Mr Anwar said his party was waiting for a response from the Left Front to fight the Bihar elections together. He said NCP was also in talks with smaller parties like Samras Samaj Party of former Union minister Nagmani and Bahujan Samaj Mukti Party which has spintered from the BSP of Mayawati.
The NCP General Secretary, however, dismissed any chance of tie-up either with Janadhikar Party of Madhepura MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav and AIMIM of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi as his party did not agree with their ideology.
He said NCP was waiting for reply of Left and others "but if they do not come we'll fight alone in Bihar."
The NCP leader slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for competing with each other in "speaking lies" in the name of economic package for the state to lure voters.