Bihar Congress chief skips meet with Rahul Gandhi, blames 'some AICC leaders' for crisis in state

The president of Congress’ Bihar unit, Ashok Choudhary, on Thursday accused “some” AICC leaders of fuelling a rebellion against him with the “false propaganda” that he was making attempts to split the party. “Some AICC leaders are behind the crisis in the Congress in Bihar…they are fuelling rebellion against me by alleging that I am making attempts to break the party in favour of Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) to replace me from PCC president’s post with their favourite,” Ashok Choudhary told PTI. [caption id=“attachment_4019983” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Rahul Gandhi after meeting Congress members. PTI[/caption] He, however, did not identify anyone but said, “they would be unmasked very soon”. The PCC chief did not go to Delhi on being summoned by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for a meeting on Wednesday to stem the crisis in Bihar arising after the collapse of the grand alliance. The Congress has 27 MLAs in the 243-member Bihar Assembly. Chaudhary refused to meet Rahul saying, “I have already apprised the party high command and explained my position when I met Sonia ji. Why should I go again?” He claimed that “from the beginning, forces on behalf of some AICC leaders are working against me. First they mooted the issue of ‘one man, one post’ against me. I told the party leadership that I am ready to give up ministerial post in favour of the Congress state chief.” “Now that ministership has gone and I am left with only the post of PCC chief, they have spun lies against me that I am making attempts to trigger split in favour of Nitish Kumar’s JD(U).” Reiterating his dedication for the party, Choudhary, whose father Mahavir Choudhary was a veteran Congress leader in Bihar hailing from dalit background, said, “I joined NSUI in student days and, over the past 25 years, I have been working to strengthen the party in Bihar…. I would have to struggle for another 15 years to explain that I did not make any attempt to split the party.” Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi met party MLAs from Bihar for the second consecutive day on Thursday in Delhi to prevent rebellion in its Bihar unit. Congress Legislature Party leader Sadanand Singh, who skipped Wednesday’s interaction with Rahul Gandhi citing personal reasons, went to the national capital to meet the party vice-president. He later said that if Chaudhary had any grievances then he should have shared them on the party platform. “I don’t know why he (Chaudhary) chose not to go Delhi and meet Rahul. We have been apprising the party high command about the political situation in the state. We have shared our thoughts again on Wednesday,” he said. Contrary to Chaudhary’s views, Sadanand Singh was all praise for RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and hailed him as the champion of secular forces, an issue which is at the core of simmering crisis in the party. Chaudhary, who has been close to Nitish, refrained his party from attacking him in the Assembly. When the RJD raised the Srijan scam and sought resignation of the chief minister and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Chaudhary ​refrained his party from joining in the chorus. With inputs from Rupesh, Alok Kumar and PTI