AICC president Sonia Gandhi is likely to share dais with Bihar’s regional satraps Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo lalu Prasad on Sunday here at Gandhi Maidan during the Swabhiman Rally of the JD(U), RJD and Congress alliance.
But in a setback to the alliance, the chief of Janata Parivar and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav is unlikely to attend the rally. He seems to be unhappy with the seat sharing for Bihar Assembly polls in which his party was totally ignored. Yadav is also uncomfortable with sharing dais with Sonia.
In bid to keep MSY in good humour, lalu on Saturday announced to give five seats to the Samajwadi Party. He said three seats which were left out and two more seats from the RJD quota would be given to Yadav’s party. “Netaji never made any demand and I am doing this on my own,” he said. However, lalu evaded a question if MSY would attend the rally. State JD(U) president Bashistha Narain Singh said, “lalu’s announcement would be discussed among the parties and would be implemented. This will further strengthen our alliance.”
The Bihar unit of Samajwadi Party was up in arms for being ignored by the alliance leaders and some of its State leaders resorted to indefinite fast which was broken following intervention by SP and RJD leadership. Bihar Samajwadi Party chief Ramchandra Singh Yadav said the State executive has decided to authorise Mulayam to take a call on lalu’s offer.
Bihar Congress president Ashok Chaudhary on Saturday announced that Sonia Gandhi is expected to address the rally on Sunday. She would be accompanied by leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and AICC general secretary and Bihar in-charge CP Joshi. “Sonia’s participation will give a big boost to grand alliance and energise the Congress workers,” he said.
When asked about the likely crowd at the Sunday rally, Nitish said, “The Maidan will be filled and the crowd will spill out the spacious maidan’s periphery. It will be historic one.”
lalu had been sweating out almost every day by travelling to places for inviting the people. He concentrated on the rural areas of Patna district and neighbouring regions saying the maximum crowd would come from those areas. large scale preparations have been made at the residences of all the Ministers, MPs and legislators here to host the people coming from their respective constituencies. Meanwhile, lalu has warned them not to make any arrangement for singing and dancing at the venues as had been common practice during earlier rallies of the RJD.
Barricades have been put up in the spacious Gandhi Maidan and high alert sounded. Each gate has been fitted with metal detector and sector magistrates and police personnel have been deputed with one gate earmarked exclusively for the arrival of the VVIPs.