The Congress party on Wednesday gave a deadline to Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan up to September 23 to decide whether it wanted to come with Rashtriya Janata Dal-led United Progressive Alliance in the coming Bihar Assembly polls.

"It cannot be open ended, the obvious deadline is September 23, when the notification for the polls will be issued," All India Congress Committee General Secretary Digvijay Singh told reporters after Paswan had an hour-long meeting with Sonia Gandhi [Images].

Sonia told the LJP leader that the alliance could not wait forever, Singh said. 

The meeting assumed significance in the backdrop of Congress hardening its stand on Paswan joining the RJD-led alliance in the polls and the Union Minister refusing to fall in line. Avoiding waiting mediapersons, Paswan left from
another gate.

Paswan's no to RJD to help NDA: Congress

RJD president Lalu Prasad and a section of Congress leaders from the state have suggested ouster of Paswan from
the UPA in case he refused to budge from his stated anti-RJD stand.

Paswan had on Tuesday said he would impress upon Congress that it would be better for it to concentrate on next general elections rather than getting involved in a state poll.

"Congress should think long term and not short term. It should think of the next polls (general elections) and not
get bogged in state election," he had said.

On Digvijay Singh's remarks that if Paswan did not accept an RJD-led alliance Congress would field candidates against his nominees, he had said, "I have made up my mind that I will keep demanding a Muslim as chief minister in Bihar, and there is no going back on it."

However, he had added, "where does the question of leaving UPA arise."