PATNA: With its state and national leadership holding divergent views over the issue of choosing between Lalu Prasads RJD and Nitish Kumars JD (U), the Congress is still in a dilemma over its alliance partner for the next Lok Sabha elections in the state. While a majority of its senior leaders in Bihar are advocating for alliance with the old, trusted and tested partner Lalu Prasad, a section of national leadership, especially partys vice-president Rahul Gandhi, is said to be insisting on building a new partnership with clean- image and development-oriented Nitish Kumar. Insiders said, over 90% leaders in the state Congress are in favour of alliance with the RJD and Ram Vilas Paswans Lok Janshakti Party. Several national level leaders, including Digvijay Singh and Shakeel Ahmad, are also in favour of going with RJD, but they do not want to openly go against Rahul Gandhis views. The Congress leaders in favour of alliance with Nitish have conveyed to the central leadership that Bihar CMs image would help the party in its revival in the state. They also argued that Nitishs secular and anti-Narendra Modi image would fetch the Muslim votes for Congress candidates not only in Bihar and but in other parts of the country as well. These leaders have also been highlighting tainted image of Lalu Prasad. But those in favour of Lalu claimed that the RJD president always stood by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in every crisis. They also claimed that besides having mass support among Yadavs and Muslims, Lalu could polarize votes of even other backward castes in favour of the Congress candidates. Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha seats, which is 15 per cent of the 272 required for majority. BPCC spokesperson V K Thakur said hectic parleys were going on at high command level to revive the party in Bihar. Our central leadership is weighing all options before taking a final decision on alliance issue, he said. BPCC chief to meet Rahul Gandhi Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has called Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Ashok Choudhary and Congress Legislature Party leader Sadanand Singh to New Delhi on December 5-6 for a crucial meeting over the alliance issue, party sources said. Gandhis earlier meeting with Choudhary, Singh and partys in charge for Bihar affairs C P Joshi on November 15 had remained inconclusive. Gandhi is likely to hold separate meeting with Choudhary and Singh.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 07:54:25 +0000
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