Rahul Gandhi, Bihar Congress Chief mum on missed alliance deadline

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday urged around 1,000 Congress delegates from Bihar in a virtual meeting to fight the upcoming assembly elections on a positive agenda by 'exposing the failures' of the Modi government and the Nitish Kumar regime. However, Gandhi and PCC chief Madan Mohan Jha were mum on why they missed the July 31deadline set for themselves at an earlier meeting for fixing the broad contours of the opposition alliance and selection of Congress candidates for the assembly polls.

Little progress in efforts to finalise the opposition alliance, comprising RJD, Congress, RLSP and Left parties, has been a matter of concern among parties. Jitin Ram Manjhi’s HAM is perceived to be on the verge of crossing over to the NDA, as an ally or by merging with JDU, as demanded by Nitish Kumar.

Gandhi said the Congress should repeat its history of being the harbinger of political change and defeat politics of hatred. AICC in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil said Gandhi spoke about the sacrifice of the personnel of the Bihar Regiment against the Chinese aggressors, about the Centre’s and Bihar government’s failures in dealing with Covid-19 and migrant workers and how his warnings about Chinese intrusion proved right. He said the Modi government’s promise about ushering in development in Bihar through a mega economic package and finding ways to prevent yearly floods were futile.


Jha and senior leaders Tariq Anwar and Akhilesh Singh exhorted Congress workers to fight it out. However, Anwar and Singh also stressed on the need for strengthening the party organisation. They said instead of taking steps to contain Covid-19, Bihar government was using it as an opportunity to restrict opposition’s activities.