BJP terms Congress CWC meeting in Bihar a blow to Tejashwi Yadav’s CM aspirations
NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday described the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Bihar — held ahead of the upcoming assembly elections — as the “final nail in the coffin” of Tejashwi Yadav’s ambition to become Chief Minister.
The Congress convened its CWC meeting in Bihar for the first time since Independence, a move the BJP interpreted as an attempt to assert itself as a parallel power within the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) and signal strength to its key ally, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Taking a swipe at the CWC meeting in Patna, which was attended by Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and other senior leaders, BJP leader Amit Malviya, In-charge of the party’s National Information & Technology Department, said:
“The CWC meeting in Bihar has sent several messages to the Grand Alliance. Firstly, this is the same Congress that has consistently insulted Bihar and Biharis with indecent remarks.”
Calling the meeting a setback for RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s chief ministerial aspirations, Malviya added:
“This Congress Working Committee meeting, the first of its kind in Bihar since Independence, is essentially the final nail in the coffin of Tejashwi Yadav’s dream of becoming Chief Minister. There appears to be a growing consensus among the Congress and Grand Alliance allies that Tejashwi will never be declared the CM face.”
Criticising Rahul Gandhi’s repeated visits to poll-bound Bihar, Malviya further remarked:
“The Congress’s active engagement in Bihar indicates that it no longer wants to be dependent on the RJD. It is making every effort to position itself as a parallel force to the RJD in the state.”
Drawing a parallel with the Congress's alliance strategy in Delhi, Malviya claimed the party’s current approach in Bihar mirrors its post-election distancing from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
“This is similar to how the Congress distanced itself from AAP after the Delhi elections. The same pattern is emerging in Bihar. A split between the Congress and the RJD appears inevitable after the elections,” he asserted.
The BJP escalated its criticism further, with senior leaders, including former Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, mocking the Congress for holding its CWC meeting in Patna.
Prasad said the Congress must answer for its silence during the RJD regime, a period marked by kidnappings, financial scams involving public funds, and caste-based massacres.
Responding to remarks made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during the CWC meeting, Prasad retorted that Kharge should “introspect on his own position within the Congress, where the levers of power lie elsewhere.”
Speaking at the BJP headquarters, Prasad added:
“This CWC meeting in Patna is driven purely by political motives. The Congress wants to take the driver’s seat and demand a larger share of seats from the RJD for the upcoming assembly polls.”
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also took aim at the Congress, branding the gathering the “Bihar-Bharat Virodhi Committee – BVC.”
Launching a scathing attack, Poonawalla remarked:
“The Congress appeared at the CWC in Gandhian disguise, but once that façade is removed, it reveals the same abusive Congress. It is not just the ‘Jungle Raj’ RJD, but an RJD of abuses. Today, they are celebrating a festival of profanity.”