PATNA: In a significant development ahead of Bihar assembly election, Congress appointed a Dalit leader, Rajesh Kumar as president of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC), replacing Akhilesh Prasad Singh, who was holding the post since 2022.
A decision to hand over the baton to Rajesh Kumar, a two term MLA from Kutumba in Aurangabad district, was taken at a meeting of party’s general secretaries and in-charge of states, presided over by president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was also present at the meeting.
Rajesh Kumar’s appointment as the new Bihar president is seen as the party’s new strategy for the upcoming assembly elections due in October-November this year.
A senior Congress leader said, “The party wants to focus on Dalit votes in the upcoming assembly election in the state.”
The leader on the condition of anonymity revealed that Akhilesh Prasad Singh comes from Upper Caste Bhumihar, a dominant caste in Bihar while Rajesh Kumar is a non-controversial face and belonged to the Scheduled Caste, which constitutes about 19.65 per cent of the state’s population. Moreover, Congress has already roped in a young leader Kanhaiya Kumar, also a Bhumihar, in Bihar politics.
“In this context, the question of inviting the wrath of Upper Caste Bhumihar for removing Akhilesh as the state chief of the party does not arise,” the leader asserted.
A notification about the appointment of a new president of Congress in Bihar was issued by party’s general secretary K C Venugopal on Tuesday. The development comes amid ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ padyatra launched by the Congress party’s students and youth wings.
The state-wide padyatra is jointly led by AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru and NSUI national in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar.
Sources in the Congress said that Akhilesh was maintaining a distance ever since Allavaru was made in-charge of Bihar and Kanhaiya was entrusted a new assignment in Bihar. Akhilesh is also considered close to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who was not in favour of entry of Kanhaiya in Bihar politics.
Though Akhilesh joined the padyatra launched from Mahatma Gandhi’s Bhitiharwa Ashram in West Champaran district on March 16, he was found conspicuous by his absence at a press conference of Allavaru and Kanhaiya at Sadaquat Ashram to announce the proposed ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ programme.
Allavaru has already warned of stern action against party leaders and workers engaged in promoting factionalism within the party. Rajesh Kumar’s appointment as the state president is a case in point.