Patna, June 20: The Nationalist Congress Party today asked the main opposition party, the Congress, to take initiative in bringing all "like-minded and secular" parties on a common platform to defeat the 'communal' BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections. Talking to reporters here, the NCP national general secretaries, Tariq Anwar and Jagannath Mishra, said if the Congress was really interested in keeping the communal forces at bay in the next elections, it should keep its leadership issue on the back burner and hold parleys with like-minded secular parties for seat adjustments.

They also criticised the ruling RJD, the NDA as well as Congress for acquiescing to the suggestions of the Bihar assembly Speaker and Vidhan Parishad chairman Sadanand Singh and Jabbir Hussain respectively, that elections to 24 council seats from local bodies be held on a non-party basis.

They said the NCP, in collaboration with the two major Left parties, CPI and CPI-M, would field candidates on party lines for the July 10 elections in the state being held after a gap of 27 years.

Bureau Report