Congress: luxury of choice now?
Patna/New Delhi: the ongoing tensions between Nitish and the BJP have given rise to some unexpected hopes in the expected quarters. The Congress at the centre is now actually considering Nitish as a partner of the future, a possibility that may do irreparable damage to the Congress-RJD relationship. It is ironic that once a great mass leader, Laloo Yadav has to depend on the whimsies of the Congress to retain something of his political stature.
According to the latest reports, the increasing strain in Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s ties with the BJP over the possibility of Narendra Modi’s projection as the NDA’s prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 elections has prompted the Congress to do a re-think over an alliance with the RJD in Bihar.
Congress sources said that the party leadership was earlier “actively considering” induction of RJD chief Lalu Prasad in the Union Cabinet next month as a precursor to an electoral alliance between them. However, given the possibility of Nitish breaking ties with the BJP, the Congress may rather wait and watch.
“While Sharad Yadav is against any alliance with the Congress, some of our ministers who have been in touch with JD(U) leaders feel that Nitish Kumar may not be averse to a tie-up with us if the BJP declares Modi as its prime ministerial candidate,” a senior Congress leader told the press.
The Congress’s renewed search for an alliance partner in Bihar is in sharp contrast to the party’s aggressive bid earlier to revive its fortune in the Hindi heartland by projecting itself as an alternative to regional outfits, seeking to ride the wave of expectations generated by Rahul Gandhi.
The party’s debacle in the Assembly elections in Bihar in 2010 and in UP this year appears to have put an end to its revival plans. In Bihar, for instance, state Congress chief Mehboob Ali Qaisar had resigned in the wake of the party’s defeat in November 2010. His replacement is yet to be found and, therefore, there is no executive in place for nearly two years. Similarly, UP Congress President Rita Bahuguna Joshi had resigned in the wake of the party’s poor show in the UP Assembly elections in March. Rahul is still undecided about her replacement. In Tamil Nadu, where the Youth Congress was once giving a clarion call for the return of ‘Kamraj rule’, there is no executive about 10 months after B S Gnandesikan replaced K V Thangkabalu as PCC chief.
[courtesy: The Indian Express]