After the State Congress leaders came out openly in support of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief lalu Prasad and his son and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad following the CBI raids and filing of case, the party’s central leadership is trying to save the mahagathbandhan in Bihar.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi spoke to Bihar CM and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Wednesday evening on this issue. The Congress is also any ally of the coalition Government led by Nitish.
While thanking Nitish for extending JD(U)’s support to UPA’s vice-president candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi, the Gandhis are believed to have discussed the political situation in Bihar arising out of the CBI action against lalu family and JD(U)’s tough stand.
Sources said Sonia and later on Rahul during telephonic talks with Nitish stressed the need for the grand unity of the Opposition on national level and urged him to play his active role in mobilising all the non-BJP parties as a preface to make an alternative to BJP for 2019 election. They also impressed on Nitish for the need to further strengthen the less than two-year-old mahagathbandhan in Bihar and frustrate the moves of the BJP in destabilising the unity of the RJD, the JD(U) and the Congress.
Sonia told Nitish that the country was drifting towards undemocratic and chaotic situation in the wake of pitiable condition of farmers, anarchy created by the groups in the name of cow protection, mob lynching and expressed concern over the happenings in Kashmir. She said that all the non-BJP parties were on the same page on such burning issues and stressed that Opposition unity should not be hampered at any cost which BJP was attempting to do.
The AICC president also requested Nitish to come to Delhi for detailed discussion. Bihar CM agreed but did not give any date. JD(U) secretary general KC Tyagi said very fruitful discussion were held among them. Gopal Krishna Gandhi also rang Nitish and expressed his gratitude. Tyagi said initially Nitish wanted him to be made opposition’s Presidential candidate but that could not materialise.
Meanwhile, Nitish held meeting with the party office bearers and district presidents and told them to intensify their efforts for strengthening the party at grass root level. “You make the organisation strong and leave the issue of alliance on me,” Nitish told them. The JD(U) leaders said that unblemished image of Nitish was the USP of the party and it would not tolerate that a single finger is raised at him. By repeating that Nitish would not compromise on corruption, the party again gave a message to the RJD and expected that lalu should come forward to save the alliance.