NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Congress has 10 days to decide on Bihar

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Bihar Governor Vinod Chandra Pande's invitation to the Rashtriya Janata Dal to form government has provided the Congress 10 valuable days to make a crucial decision -- whether or not to support it.

"Our party chief Sonia Gandhi consulted senior party colleagues last night to decide on our strategy in Bihar. The decision on it is vital because it would determine its growth or retardation," said a Lok Sabha MP of the Congress.

His party colleague in the Lok Sabha, Kamal Nath, added: "We have emerged victorious in the first round in Bihar against communal forces as represented by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. But a decision will be taken soon by our leadership in the matter which will be in the party's overall interests."

However, given the fact that the Congress had severed its alliance with the RJD during the parliamentary and the just-concluded assembly elections in Bihar, the situation is piquant. Then, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and senior party leaders had branded the RJD as corrupt and the perpetrator of "jungleraj."

The leadership decided to support the RJD-led alliance against the just-ousted Nitish Kumar government "on principles," claimed party spokesman Ajit Jogi.

"Our primary job was to fight the communal forces represented by the NDA," he said.

Now that that has been achieved, he continued, with the resignation of the Nitish Kumar, consultations were on among senior leaders to decide on future strategy.

The Congress dilemma on whether to support the Rabri Devi government stems from the fact that party legislators in Bihar oppose tooth and nail any support to the RJD-led alliance. They say that Laloo Yadav and his cohorts are corrupt and 'lawless.'

Bihar Congress legislators, particularly Veena Shahi, Anil Sharma, Ram Jatan Sinha and Ramashray Prasad Singh, had stridently opposed the party's support to RJD. In fact, they had even threatened to split the state unit over it.

The Congress leadership, it is understood, has taken cognisance of the fact that while enlisting the support of other parties in times of crisis, Laloo Yadav makes tall promises "which he never honours". It was with this in mind that the Congress successfully bargained to make partyman Sadanand Singh the speaker.

Another Congress spokesman, Anil Shastri said the high command was hopeful that Sadanand Singh would act as a 'balancing' force to check the RJD chief from becoming a "despot."

But the fact that several Congress legislators, particularly those elected from South Bihar, are still greatly apprehensive of Laloo Yadav cannot be wished away. Nor can the Congress high command forget that the RJD chief has reneged on his promise on Jharkhand even earlier. If that happens, the party legislators in Bihar are likely to raise the banner of revolt yet again.

The pitfalls for the Congress supporting the RJD-led alliance, thus, are many, and Gandhi will have to give the matter considerable thought if she wants a workable solution.

"I think we will be ready when the Rabri Devi government takes its trial of strength," Jogi said.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report