Bihar Congress in Crisis: Dual Protests Highlight Election Irregularities and Internal Dissent
The Bihar Congress unit found itself embroiled in significant turmoil on Tuesday as simultaneous protests and internal dissent rocked the party. State leaders and expelled rebels separately voiced strong concerns regarding alleged irregularities during the recent Rajya Sabha elections and the overall functioning of the state party apparatus.
Congress Leaders Accuse BJP of "Vote Theft" and Intimidation
Congress leaders, spearheaded by state president Rajesh Ram, staged a vigorous protest outside the party headquarters in Patna. They leveled serious accusations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging systematic "vote theft" and "MLA theft" during elections not only in Bihar but across other states as well.
This demonstration was a direct response to the abstention of three Congress MLAs—Surendra Kushwaha from Valmikinagar, Manoj Biswas from Forbesganj, and Manohar Prasad Singh from Manihari—during the crucial Rajya Sabha voting on Monday. Their absence proved decisive, enabling the BJP candidate to secure the fifth seat for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
"The BJP has been relentlessly undermining democracy," asserted Rajesh Ram. "They not only intimidated and threatened our Congress MLAs in Bihar but also effectively placed them under house arrest to prevent them from exercising their voting rights in the Rajya Sabha election." He further alleged misuse of administrative machinery to control the legislators.
Ram claimed that MLAs who resisted alleged inducements faced intimidation tactics. However, in a notable rebuttal, two of the three absent MLAs—Surendra Kushwaha and Manoj Biswas—publicly denied accepting any bribes or inducements in exchange for abstaining from the vote.
Expelled Rebels Hold Separate Conference, Demand Party Overhaul
Concurrently, the party's deepening internal crisis was laid bare as expelled members and rebel functionaries organized a separate state-level conference. They declared their intention to persist with agitation for "corrective measures" within the party and vowed to escalate the matter to the central leadership in Delhi.
This gathering marked their first major assembly since the November assembly elections, where the Congress suffered a dismal performance, winning merely six out of the 61 seats it contested. The meeting reiterated longstanding allegations of "brokers" dominating party affairs and cash transactions influencing ticket distribution.
"Our primary objective is to liberate the state Congress from the undue influence wielded by 'bichauliyas' (middlemen), brokers, and 'saudebaji' (cash transactions), thereby rescuing the party's state unit," stated the rebel leaders collectively.
One expelled leader, addressing the conference, expressed grave concern: "Today, the state Congress has hit rock bottom. The current state leadership and the AICC incharge bear the main responsibility for this decline. The consecutive losses from the assembly elections to the Rajya Sabha poll have brought shame upon the entire state." They emphasized that their ultimate goal was to strengthen senior party leader Rahul Gandhi's position.
The dual protests underscore a period of intense strife for the Bihar Congress, grappling with external electoral challenges and profound internal divisions that threaten its cohesion and future electoral prospects.
