Updated on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 00:00 IST

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi, March 18: Trying to downplay the rift between Congress and RJD over seat sharing in Bihar, the RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday said that, “Sonia Gandhi will decide the next Prime Minister of the country.”

“We cannot forget the contribution of Sonia Gandhi to the country,” Lalu said. He added that, “We are more loyal to Congress than a lot of its own members.”

Yesterday, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav had said the UPA allies would contest on similar lines in Jharkhand as well even as sharp differences among stakeholders - RJD, Congress, JMM and LJP - are yet to be sorted out.

"We will contest jointly even in Jharkhand..." Prasad told reporters.

However, smarting under the snub in Bihar, the Congress today struck back at RJD by sewing up a seat sharing agreement with JMM in Jharkhand leaving Lalu Prasad just two seats his party had won in the last elections.

A day after Lalu's RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party unilaterally got into a deal in Bihar leaving a paltry three seats for Congress, Congress and JMM today announced a pact under which they would contest seven and five seats respectively. Jharkhand has a total of 14 seats.