Earlier the pace with which the Congress had moved to clear the Ordinance on convicted leaders, the buzz in political circle of Bihar was that it was to save RJD chief lalu Prasad from vanishing into political wilderness after the court verdict in the fodder scam to come up on September 30.
But when Rahul Gandhi on Friday took a swift turn slamming the Ordinance as “complete nonsense”, again the man at centre was lalu Prasad, as many believed, the Congress vice-president didn’t wish to take any electoral risk with the sulking RJD chief.
As soon as the Congress vice-president declared the Ordinance to be torn and thrown out, the murmur in the political circle again became audible that it was all because Rahul didn’t want to jump in the crucial 2014 Parliamentary polls seeing standing with tainted lalu Prasad.
“The Congress vice-president might not be interested in contesting polls along with lalu against whom a crucial judgement is to be delivered,” said a JD(U) MlA.
According to political observers, any move to identify with the RJD boss in the upcoming lok Sabha polls might be counter-productive at a time when the Congress-led UPA Government is at the receiving end of corruption charges.
The RJD chief and party MP from Saran, lalu Prasad these days is a worried man as a Jharkhand court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on Monday in the fodder scam case. It is widely believed that lalu may have to face an adverse judgement in the case and has to lose his lok Sabha membership and also may not be able to contest the 2014 election.
The Ordinance which the Congress earlier wanted to bring forth had provision to allow legislators and Parliamentarians to attend House proceedings even after conviction as long as they obtain a stay within 90 days. The fast pace at which the Ordinance was moving gave enough hints that the Congress wanted to bring it into force before September 30, the D-day for the RJD chief.
But all turned topsy-turvy for the RJD boss on Friday when Rahul slammed the Ordinance and the Congress party later declared to withdraw the Ordinance. The sulking former Bihar CM closeted in Rabri Devi’s official bungalow in Patna throughout the day and refused to make any comment on Rahul’s sudden move. But, party sources said, he kept asking his well-wishers to pray for him.
However, his party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui categorically refused that the Ordinance had anything to do with lalu Prasad. “Those who believe that the Ordinance has anything to do with lalu are the biggest fool,” said Siddiqui.
Meanwhile, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar who earlier had registered his protest over the Ordinance expressed his happiness over Rahul’s move to call it complete nonsense.
“Rahul Gandhi ne jo kaha hai Ordinance ke bare mein thik kaha hai (what Rahul Gandhi has said on Ordinance is right)”, reacted Kumar. Earlier, Kumar had said the way the Congress party has brought the Ordinance was not a wise step.
“There is no need to bring it from backdoor. They should bring it in Parliament and have a debate over it,” Kumar had said.
Now, after the Congress vice-president has wished to tear and throw it in dustbin, speculation has become rife that it might happened because of growing political intimacy between the Congress and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.
It is believed that the beleaguered RJD supremo might have earlier convinced Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party senior leaders if the court decision would go against him on Monday the BJP will have a free play in the State and the formidable Yadav vote-bank might shift to anti-Congress parties like the BJP.
“As we all know that the UPA chairperson has a soft corner for lalu she might have hurried up the Ordinance to save him from the political oblivion,” said a political pundit of the State.