PATNA: The Congress’ ties with the RJD seem to have fallen into rough weather with the latter’s refusal to keep the promise of sparing a Rajya Sabha seat in 2020.
Sensing a dilly-dallying attitude by the RJD, the Congress in-charge Shakti Singh Gohil shot off a letter on March 8 to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav reminding him to keep the promise he had made in 2019.
On March 26, five RS seats in Bihar will go to the polls. Three of the five seats are with the JD-U and 2 with the BJP. But with the strength falling short of the required numbers, the NDA will lose one seat each to the opposition.
The Congress has staked a claim on one of these two RS seats. On Monday, the rift widened with the RJD announcing to field its candidates on both the Rajya Sabha seats.
Gohil used a couplet of the Ramcharitra manas — ‘Jaan Jaye to Jay, Vachan Na Jay’ — to remind the RJD’s promise to the Congress party. But it has failed to evoke a sense of consideration in the RJD.
Bhai Birendra, a senior RJD leader and close confidant of Tejashawi Yadav, flatly denied to spare a seat for the Congress Party.
“The RJD is determined to send our leaders to Rajya Sabha from two seats in Bihar. The Congress Party was given one seat in polls, so this time a question doesn’t arise to concede over any demand of Congress Party on it,” he told the media.