New Delhi/ Patna: Speculation about a possible split in the Bihar Congress was sought to be firmly put to rest on Friday after all six of the party’s MLAs attended a meeting of Bihar Congress leaders in Delhi, alongside MPs, MLCs and members of the Congress Working Committee from the state.
The meeting was held in the presence of Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, and Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. Party leaders said the show of unity was intended to counter persistent rumours of defections ahead of the Bihar assembly’s budget session.
Speaking after the meeting, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal rejected reports suggesting that some Bihar MLAs were preparing to leave the party. “Rumours are being spread that our MLAs are quitting the Congress. These are completely baseless. All six MLAs from Bihar were present at today’s meeting,” he said, adding that such claims were “entirely false”.
Speculation about a potential split had gathered pace in recent weeks, with claims that four of the six Congress MLAs could be targeted during the budget session. It was alleged that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) might attempt to attract opposition legislators to bolster its numbers beyond the BJP’s 89 MLAs in the assembly. Leaders from the BJP and JD(U) have publicly hinted at such possibilities, fuelling political chatter.
The rumours intensified further when no Congress MLAs or senior leaders attended the traditional Dahi-Chura feast hosted by the Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram earlier this month, prompting questions about internal cohesion within the party.
Congress leaders, however, insist there is no internal revolt. The party, which contested 61 seats in the most recent Bihar assembly elections, won just six. Those elected were Manohar Prasad Singh, Surendra Prasad, Abhishek Ranjan, Abidur Rahman, Mohammad Kamrul Hoda and Manoj Biswas.
Party insiders said the Delhi meeting was meant to reassure the central leadership and project unity at a time when the Congress is seeking to strengthen its organisational base in Bihar despite its limited presence in the assembly.
