While Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Harkishen Singh Surjeet denied there was ever ``any such proposal to allow Laloo Yadav to re-join the party,'' Janata Dal president Sharad Yadav was equally categorical. ``No tainted leader will be allowed under the Janata Dal's umbrella,'' he said here on Friday before leaving for Chennai to launch a nationwide agitation against the Bharatiya Janata Party led coalition Government at the Centre.

Denying reports that United Front leaders were thinking of bringing in the RJD chief to boost its prospects after the poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections, Sharad Yadav said: ``Besides Laloo Prasad Yadav, there are several grassroots leaders in the party who are sufficient to mobiliseforces and strengthen the party.... there is no question of bringing him (Laloo) back in the party fold.''

Regarding last year's National Council resolution that all internal problems within the Janata Dal would be resolved to allow splinter groups to re-join the party, sources said it was ``swept under the carpet... neither the United Front nor its allies bothered to sit together and discuss the matter''.

Criticising the report, Sharad Yadav said: ``Some people were trying to create a misunderstanding in the minds of party leaders.'' Several Front and Janata Dal leaders, he said, were now camping in their constituencies to do some soul-searching and ``correct their mistakes during the Lok Sabha elections''.

Citing ``widespread misuse of State and Central funds leading to complete administrative bankruptcy'' in Bihar, Janata Dal parliamentary board chairman Ram Vilas Paswan said, ``In the interest of the party in particular, and the people in general, it would be better to keep him (Laloo) out... thereis hardly any chance of him joining the United Front in any case.''

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally, the Samata Party, of speaking in different voices on the Rabri Devi Government issue, Ram Vilas Paswan said, ``While the state BJP unit has been seeking dismissal of the Rashtriya Janata Dal Government, senior party leaders visiting the state recently appeared to be quite soft on the issue.''

Swamy wooing RJD

PATNA: Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy today met Laloo Prasad and apparently convinced him to join his ``Secular Front''. He also gave a clean chit to Laloo in the fodder scam. But Swamy claimed to have found another charge-sheet against BJP leader L.K. Advani for providing "false information" on his residential status to contest an RS seat from MP.