Rahul in fire-fighting mode to save Grand Alliance in Bihar
Patna,(BiharTimes): In spite of repeated rebuff from Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar Congress party is in no mood to lose an alliance partner as important as Janata Dal (United).
Though many Congress leaders and even independent political observers are of the view that Nitish is just indulging in the politics of ‘arm-twisting’ yet Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who was out of country then, has reportedly instructed the party workers to avoid doing anything which would harm the alliance. He even hinted at action against those leaders who speak against Nitish.
The Congress has decided to hold a meeting of Opposition parties on July 11. Though JD(U) has been invited its national spokesman K C Tyagi said his party would attend if invited.
However, nothing can be said for sure about JD(U) after its sudden flip-flop over Presidential election.
However, Congress party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was ruthless in his attack on Nitish last month, had softened his stand and conceded that the opposition was a bit slow in naming the Presidential candidate.
State Congress party chief Ashok Chaudhary, who is the education minister in the Nitish cabinet, was recently in New Delhi and had met Rahul. The latter is planning to shortly meet Nitish or reach him over phone.
Analysts are of the view that no doubt Nitish’s JD(U) on its own has a much smaller social and political base in Bihar when compared to another partner, RJD, the Congress can not afford to lose the former. After all after Lalu Prasad’s conviction Nitish is the best face for the post of chief minister. This is the fact conceded by many BJP leaders.
So if Congress wants to really gear up for 2019 Lok Sabha election it will have to ignore some of the moves taken by JD(U).
