Cong divided over Bihar tieup
The Congress is speaking in different voices on who will be its ally in Bihar after the JD(U) walked out of the NDA on the issue of secularism and holding of the Jharkhand Assembly elections.
A section of the Congress, especially the minorities leaders, views that a pre-poll alliance with the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD will help the party in increasing its numbers.
“The RJD, LJP and the Congress alliance will check the BJP and the JD(U) as well,” they said while drawing attention to how Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will fail to get votes of the upper castes and Yadavs. “Even minorities will think twice before voting for the JD(U) after realising that it cannot check Narendra Modi who is emerging as the BJP’s PM candidate.”
But others view that the Congress should ally with the Nitish Kumar-led party as this will help in regaining the lost ground among upper castes in Bihar.
Mr Kumar’s image and his thrust on development has already changed the agenda of Bihar. The Congress should get mileage of it. Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav’s social agenda has already antagonised the upper castes, besides, non-Yadavs among the OBCs are not comfortable with him.
“Why to revive Lalu Prasad in Bihar who has made a dent in our support base among backwards. These sections cannot come back to us so long as we ally with him. In fact, the RJD and the BJP cannot come to power on their own in Bihar. So, the Congress must look for other options,” they said.
The JD(U), Congress, LJP could be a winning combination which can attract minorities, upper castes and most backward castes (MBCs).
In the last Lok Sabha elections, Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav had offered three seats to the Congress but when the alliance broke on the seat-sharing, the RJD could won only four seats. And the RJD has been out of the UPA since April 2009.
After backing Mr Nitish Kumar on the floor test in Patna, the Congress managers at the AICC are watching who is gaining and losing in Bihar.
As far as Jharkhand is concerned, the Congress is giving conflicting signals on whether it wants to form a government with the JMM and others or prefer mid-term Assembly polls.
The Congress cannot afford to delay a decision as the term for President’s Rule in the state expires on 18 July. And it could face music in the coming Lok Sabha elections if it miscalculates the situation.
Post new comment