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With the Congress on Tuesday making it public that it will contest the crucial Bihar assembly polls in alliance with the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) putting an end to all speculations of fighting alone, there was a moment when the relationship s between the two parties had hit rock bottom rock and the RJD almost losing its patience.
With growing dissent in the INDIA bloc in Bihar, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge along with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday evening chaired a meeting with the leaders of the state and made it clear that the alliance of the grand old party with the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD will remain intact thus giving a clear signal that no statements made by other leaders will be looked upon.
The relations of the two parties had bottom rock when some of the Congress leaders openly voiced that the party will have 1990’s formula for alliance, sending shockwave to the RJD, which has remained a trusted aide in the state.
Top sources in Congress revealed that the RJD was all set to launch a counter attack on the grand old party, but the intervention at the right time by a very senior leader in Bihar stopped the alliance to derail ahead of crucial battle.
Just after the past state unit chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh was replaced by Rajesh Kumar and in-charge Krishna Allavaru taking the driving seat in the state, the Congress had gone aggressive in making its comment over the alliance in Bihar with a MLA commenting that the party should contest on all 243 seats.
The aggressive comments, however, did not go well with the RJD, who said that they were following the ‘alliance dharma’ and thus refraining from making any public comments on the grand old party.
However, they lodged their protest with a senior Congress leader making the intentions clear of the party, the source added.
The RJD leaders also submitted the news clipping of the two statements made by the Congress leaders over the alliance in Bihar and lodged their protest, the source added.
The source further claimed that other stalemate came after the RJD did not send its invite of the Lalu’s Iftar party hosted at Abdul Bari Siddiqui’s residence to Congress leaders in Bihar scheduled on Monday, making its intentions clear of the pressure politics.
However, the decision taken by the Congress on Tuesday to continue its alliance with the RJD gave a much needed relief to both the parties.
The Congress had in 2020 assembly polls contested on 70 seats and could manage to win only 19 seats. The RJD, which emerged as the single largest party in the state, after the poll results were miffed with the performance of Congress as it fell short of majority by a mere 14 to 15 seats.
The source further said that the Congress had gone to polls all alone in 2010 assembly polls and could manage to win only four seats, thus understanding the ground reality before taking such decision. The source also revealed that the party first needs to strengthen the Congress at the grass root before going solo in the state, where the caste politics plays an important role.
Similarly, Rajesh Ranjan aka Pappu Yadav, who had joined the Congress head of the Lok Sabha polls, but did not merge his party at the sadakat Ashram and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as an independent candidate is also seeking clarity for his role in the grand old party ahead of the crucial assembly polls.
Pappu Yadav has campaigned extensively for Congress in Jharkhand and other states and is now also looking at his role in the party with the new party chief and incharge in place in the state.
With the polls in Bihar scheduled later this year, the RJD has started its public outreach programme and Tejashwi Yadav taking the front seat to dethrone Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in the state. Meanwhile, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar is also leading ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ yatra in Bihar since March 16 to prepare the pitch for the grand old party.
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