Talking to mediapersons here on Wednesday, Mandal described Laloo Prasad Yadav as an opportunist who had betrayed the people of Jharkhand. Laloo's opposition for a separate state for Jharkhand was politically motivated and he would be taught a lesson in the coming elections, he said.

Taking exception over the decision of the Bihar cabinet to scrap the draft Bill for the creation of Vananchal on Tuesday, Mandal said that the minority government has no right to do so without consulting its allies.

The senior JMM (S) leader informed that a delegation of his party would meet the Governor on September 18 and urge him to ask theRabri Devi Government to seek a vote of confidence in the State legislature immediately. ``The Rabri Devi Government will not be able to muster support of even 140 MLAs motion if the Governor asks them to,'' he asserted.

Mandal said that the JMM (S) delegation would apprise the Governor about the present political scenario and request him that he should prevent the present minority Government to take any major policy decision.

Mandal ridiculed Yadav's statement that formation of Jharkhand state was possible only over his dead body. ``Yadav will be politically dead in the next six months,'' he quipped and pointed out that another opponent of Jharkhand state, former chief minister of Bihar, Jagannath Mishra, was already a dead horse and was being kept politically alive by the media.

Asked what could be the reasons for Yadav to back out on his earlier stand, Mandal said Yadav feared imminent dismissal of the Rabri Devi Government and wanted to gain sympathy of people of north Bihar on the issue. In fact,by opposing the creation of a separate Jharkhand state, the former chief minister was deliberately creating confusion and bitterness among the people of north and south Bihar.

He said that if the President dismissed the State Government under section 356 of the Constitution, the JMM (S) would not oppose the action and rather welcome it. ``If the RJD launches an agitation against the dismissal of its Government, the JMM (S) will launch a counter agitation,'' he further said.

Mandal also hinted that the JMM (S) would disassociate itself from the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha launched by Laloo and Mulayam Singh Yadav. The JMM (S) is a constituent of the front. ``If the front opposes smaller states why should we associate ourselves with it?'' he asked.