New Delhi: Congress is in talks with various political parties to form a secular alliance against the BJP in the Bihar assembly polls, its spokesman Rajeev Gowda said on Monday.
"The Congress is in discussion with multiple political parties to form a united alliance of secular parties against the BJP," he told reporters.
Asked if a Congress-JD(U) alliance in poll-bound Bihar bypassing Lalu Prasad's RJD could be a possibility given remarks to this effect by PCC Chief Ashok Chaudhary, Gowda said,"During pre-poll negotiations, various postures are taken."
He was asked whether the PCC chief was 'acting independently' while making such statements. The PCC Chief had held talks with Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi two days back.
Reports quoting unnamed party sources had it that the Congress is inclined to form an alliance with the JD-U in Bihar to avoid RJD chief Lalu Prasad's attempts to drive a hard bargain in a broader coalition against the BJP.
Congress is currently supporting the JD-U government in Bihar and several of its state leaders, including state party president Chaudhary, have repeatedly reposed faith in Kumar's leadership and expressed willingness to contest the coming polls with him provided they are given a respectable treatment in seat sharing.
Chaudhary has gone on record to say that though there is a good possibility of the RJD, JD(U) and the Congress entering into an alliance, "we are clear on choosing the development face, Nitish, if talks between him and Lalu over seat sharing fail."
Speaking separately, AICC General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed, a senior party leader from Bihar, agreed with the PCC Chief's view that Nitish Kumar is a "good" Chief Minister.
"Nitish Kumar is a good Chief Minister. Politically, we have supported him thrice," Ahmed told, adding "if he gets a chance for the fourth time, he will prove to be a good chief minister".
Congress had supported Nitish when he parted ways from BJP. It also backed his move to make Jitan Ram Manjhi the CM and later again supported Nitish when he replaced Manjhi as Chief Minister.
He, however, hastened to add that as far as the agreement on Assembly elections is concerned, it depended upon the RJD and JD-U deciding to form an alliance.
"Congress wants an honourable alliance with sufficient number of seats. We will wait for the outcome of the RJD-JD-U talks. Then Congress will take a final call", said Ahmed, who was a minister in the erstwhile RJD-led government in the state and also PCC Chief earlier.
The Congress' statements came on a day when reports from Patna spoke of RJD president Lalu Prasad throwing the ball in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's court saying it was time to decide about the alliance.
With the much-publicised Janata Parivar merger in doldrums, Prasad wanted Kumar to hurry up over the mega alliance. Prasad's sudden insistence on quick talks on alliance came against the backdrop of Congress' overtures to Kumar and his JD(U) before the Bihar Assembly polls.
A section of the Congress is saying that Rahul Gandhi has a 'soft corner' for Nitish, whom he considers a "more dependable" ally in Bihar.
The general feeling in political circles is that if Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar failed to join hands, it will be advantage BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the polls.
Stakes are high for BJP in Bihar after its debacle in Delhi Assembly polls.
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