UPA does not belong to Congress alone: Lalu Prasad

Patna, Apr 20 (ANI): Retracting from his stand on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday said that United Progressive Alliance (UPA) does not necessarily belong to the Congress party and the coalition would meet after the completion of elections to decide their primeministerial candidate.

The Railway Minister had maintained all along that Manmohan Singh is the UPA nominee for the post of Prime Minister.

However, talking to reporters here, Lalu said that Singh as prime minister cannot be taken for granted and the candidate for the top post is still not fixed.

Lalu, whose RJD is an ally of the Congress party, had brokenanks with Congress, for the ensuing polls over the issue of seat sharing inihar.

Expressing confidence that the UPA would emerge victorious in these elections, Lalu Prasad said, "The UPA will form its government and there is no doubt about it. But, indeed, the people in the state Congress leadership misled Sonia Gandhi about their strength as a result of which the party fielded candidates in so many places against us."

"These people will not be able to show their faces to the Congress president after the elections," he said. (ANI)