RJD chief Lalu Prasad said Wednesday that not aligning with the Congress in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections was a “mistake” and Nitish Kumar was not a factor in Bihar.

“Not aligning with the Congress (in the last Lok Sabha) elections was a mistake,” Lalu Prasad said in the “Ghoshnapatra” programme telecast by ABP news channel.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is in talks with the Congress to finalise an alliance for the Lok Sabha elections expected April-May.

The Lok Janshakti Party, which is also expected to be part of the alliance, Wednesday indicated that it was keeping its options open and could ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Lalu Prasad said a Congress-led alliance at the centre was the need of the hour.

Taking a dig at the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who he said talks of a “Congress-free India”, Lalu Prasad said there has to be a “with-Congress India”.

The former Bihar chief minister said his party will “finish communal forces” in his state.

He also said Nitish Kumar’s government was in minority and the Janata Dal-United leader was not a factor in the state.

Lalu Prasad said there was no force that could match the “social justice” done by his party.