Ranchi: The trust deficit within the ruling INDIA bloc widened on Friday as the war of words over Congress candidate Pranav Jha’s defeat in the Rajya Sabha election held on Thursday intensified, with alliance partners RJD and CPI-ML targeting Congress and its Jharkhand affairs in-charge K Raju.
JMM’s Baidyanath Ram and NDA-backed Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani won the two Rajya Sabha seats.
Both RJD and CPI-ML accused the Congress of failing to prevent cross-voting within its ranks, while RJD leaders went a step further, calling Raju “compromised”. Raju, however, reiterated his stand on ‘X’, claiming he could authenticate that all 16 Congress MLAs had voted for Jha.
Following the results on Thursday, Raju had asserted that all Congress and JMM MLAs remained united behind Jha, while alleging that support from RJD and CPI-ML did not hold.
Chief minister and JMM president Hemant Soren congratulated both winners on ‘X’ but has so far refrained from commenting on the controversy. On Friday morning, he also wished Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on his birthday.
Early on Friday, the RJD released a video on its official X handle highlighting an instance of alleged cross-voting by Congress legislators during a recent Rajya Sabha election in Bihar despite the two parties being alliance partners. In Ranchi, RJD national general secretary Bhola Yadav, flanked by party MLAs and a minister, demanded Raju’s resignation, accusing him of being “compromised”.
“I was the poll observer for my party and all our four MLAs voted for INDIA bloc candidate (Jha). I can vouch for it. It’s time for him (Raju) and his party to introspect as they failed to keep their house in order once again,” said Yadav.
RJD MLA Suresh Paswan was even more critical. “We are sure, Raju, who himself was Congress’s poll agent, took money to make its own candidate lose. We demand that he should be immediately shunted out. He just made baseless statements against RJD and CPI-ML to hide their failure. Everyone knows Congress’s history,” he said.
CPI-ML, which has two MLAs in the assembly, also hit back. Its national general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya wrote to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, terming Raju’s allegations “baseless” and claiming the campaign against CPI-ML legislators was aimed at tarnishing the party’s image.
Congress leaders, meanwhile, rallied behind Raju. Senior party leader Alok Dubey said, “No matter the number of allegations RJD and CPI-ML level against Congress or K Raju, the truth will not change that they took money and cross-voted or jumped sides. It’s a bitter truth. Their MLAs compromised their principles and integrity.”
Party general secretary Lal Kishore Nath Shahdeo added, “Their (RJD and CPI-ML’s) reactions are politically motivated, indecent, and devoid of truth as they are nervous of them getting exposed.” Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha also accused the two parties of abandoning alliance dharma.
The BJP took a swipe at the ruling alliance over the public spat. “The way Congress immediately began blaming its allies shows its double standards. Together for power, but after defeat putting the blame on others has always been its policy,” said BJP leader Pratul Shahdeo.
JMM general secretary Vinod Pandey said the alliance would review the Rajya Sabha election outcome. “Rajya Sabha election results will be reviewed within the grand alliance to determine the reasons behind the loss of one INDIA bloc candidate. JMM MLAs remained united. CM Hemant Soren also held several meetings with alliance partners and strategies were formulated, but the results did not come as expected,” he said.
Meanwhile, the chief minister is learnt to have left for Shirdi with his family on a short visit on Friday.
