New Delhi, January 8
The Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) were caught in a cat-and-mouse game over their electoral alliance for next month’s Assembly poll in Bihar and Jharkhand.

Angry over the Congress decision to ink a unilateral pact with the JMM, RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav declared that the Congress was free to go it alone in the Bihar election.

However, Mr Yadav did not close the door on further talks with the Congress, indicating the possibility of a meeting with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi tomorrow.

Having announced its seat-sharing arrangement with the JMM without consultations with the RJD, the Congress today played the innocent. Congress leader R.K. Dhawan was rushed to placate a fuming RJD chief. Congress Rajya Sabha member Rajiv Shukla also called on Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav in an effort to mollify him.

While Mr Shukla maintained he had met Mr Yadav for some personal work, Mr Dhawan told reporters that the Congress and the RJD would be able to sort out their misunderstandings, adding that this was not such a major problem as it was being made out to be.

AICC sources said the unilateral decision on Jharkhand was meant to tell Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav that he could not take the Congress for granted as also to pressurise him into agreeing to an honourable settlement in Bihar.

Mr Yadav said the manner in which the Congress announced its seat-sharing pact with the JMM without consulting them indicated that the Congress “does not need us.”

“Let there be a free-for-all now... all parties are independent,” he declared, adding that it was the Congress which had closed the door on them and not the other way round.