PATNA: Amid speculation over the party’s MLAs joining the Janata Dal (United), the Congress high command has called all six of its Bihar MLAs to Delhi to discuss strategies for strengthening the party organisation and other related issues.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will be present at the meeting scheduled for January 23. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will also attend the meeting, which will be held at Indira Bhavan, the party headquarters.
Sources said the main agenda of the meeting is to strengthen the organisation in Bihar and discuss the upcoming political strategy.
The Bihar Congress has not yet formally announced a leader of its legislative party, and it is expected that a decision in this regard will be taken after the meeting. The issue has gained significance as the Bihar Assembly’s budget session is slated to begin on February 2.
Last week, the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee held a meeting with its MLAs in Patna. State in-charge Krishna Allavaru and state president Rajesh Ram were present. During the meeting, discussions were also held with the chairpersons of various party cells and departments, focusing on strategies to intensify organisational activities and strengthen the party at the grassroots level.
The Congress won just six of the 61 seats it contested in the last Bihar Assembly election. Its MLAs are Manohar Prasad Singh (Manihari), Surendra Prasad (Valmiki Nagar), Abhishek Ranjan (Chanpatia), Abidur Rahman (Araria), Md Kamrul Hoda (Kishanganj) and Manoj Biswan (Forbesganj). In the state polls, the NDA won 202 seats, with the BJP and the JD(U) securing 89 and 85 seats respectively. Of the Mahagathbandhan’s 35 seats, the RJD won 25.
Senior Congress leaders have consistently dismissed speculation about party MLAs joining the JD(U), though some privately have not ruled out the possibility.
“There is no truth to these speculations. We are sure none of our MLAs are going anywhere,” former Congress Legislative Party leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan said after party legislators did not attend the ‘dahi-chuda’ function hosted at the state party headquarters, Sadaqat Ashram, in Patna.