Congress may not have any problem in embracing fodder scam ‘tainted’ lalu Prasad as an ally, but when it comes to campaigning, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi is shy of sharing dais with the RJD chief.
The party strategists have also started deliberating on accommodating Adarsh scam-tainted former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on the dais for the April 20 Mumbai rally. Host of senior leaders, including party chief Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Union Minister Sharad Pawar will attend the rally.
While Rahul would be in Bihar’s Aurangabad district on Tuesday to campaign for Nikhil Kumar, Sonia would address a rally in support of lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar at Sasaram on April 3. AICC sources said senior BPCC office-bearers, Bihar AICC incharge CP Joshi and senior Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and party’s candidates from the nearby constituencies would be present on the dais during both the rallies.
Ever since the Congress-RJD-NCP alliance in Bihar, the political managers of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi have been in a fix on how to chalk the Bihar’s campaign as Rahul has reportedly made it clear he would not like to share dais with lalu. At Patna, lalu, too, said on Sunday he would not address the rallies of Rahul and Sonia. “There is no programme to hold a joint rally with Rahul. We did not make any programme for a joint campaign. All of us are going solo in the election campaign. Soniaji will come and address her rally. I will be addressing my rally somewhere else,” Prasad said talking to media persons.
Congress sources, however, said that given Rahul’s reluctance to share dais with lalu, both sides were exploring other options like holding lalu-Sonia joint rally and Rahul-Misa Bharti (lalu’s daughter) rally in Bihar. Rahul was instrumental in shelving the Ordinance on allowing convicted public representatives to contest elections. The Ordinance was brought just days before lalu Prasad’s conviction in the fodder scam. Congress president Sonia Gandhi was part of the Congress core group meeting, which had cleared the Ordinance proposal.
For Rahul and his managers, party sources said the choice is between protecting his personal image as anti-graft crusader and maximising the gain of its alliance with the RJD in the crucial State of Bihar which would see a triangular contest now between Congress-RJD, NDA and JD (U). Rahul was also instrumental in keeping lalu from UPA-II. Despite Rahul’s reported reservation against joining hands with lalu, the RJD chief has avoided making any comment against him either publicly or private.