BJP conspires to 'spoil relation' between RJD and us, says Bihar Congress leader Kaukab Qadri

Patna: The Bihar Congress on Tuesday alleged that the BJP has hatched a conspiracy to spoil the relation “between us and our ally, the RJD”. BPCC working president Kaukab Qadri also asked the party leaders to exercise caution while making statements, especially on the possibility of the ruling JD(U)’s return to the Grand Alliance, a coalition of the Congress and the RJD. Qadri’s instructions came a day after some party MLAs had spoken out in favour of Bihar chief minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar’s return to the Grand Alliance at a meeting where AICC secretary in-charge of Bihar Rajesh Lilautiya was present. [caption id=“attachment_4659161” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Qadri later told PTI that there is a conspiracy hatched by the BJP to drive a wedge between the RJD and the Congress since the NDA in Bihar is rattled by the good performance of our alliance in the recently held by-polls. “There is a growing realisation within the NDA that in the face of a rock-solid Congress-RJD combine, the BJP and its allies will face an uphill task both in the Lok Sabha and the assembly polls,” he said. “I have asked our party colleagues to remember the astounding success of our coalition in the by-polls for Araria Lok Sabha seat and Jehanabad and Jokihat Assembly segments. We must not squander this advantage”, he added. “All our leaders, including spokesmen and elected representatives, must exercise utmost caution and ensure that no discordant notes come out,” Qadri said. On the praising of Kumar by some of the Congress MLAs and favoring his return to the Grand Alliance, Qadri said, “We have been repeatedly saying that the chief minister should make his stand as well as that of his party clear. As of now, he appears to be sitting in the lap of the BJP-RSS”. “There is no denying that Kumar is feeling very uncomfortable in the BJP-led alliance. But the fact remains that it is he who had left us and not the other way round. He is now also suffering from a crisis of credibility, not just political but also administrative,” Qadri said. The chief minister and his ally, the BJP, seem to have divergent agenda and governance has taken a back seat, he said. “Kumar has not succeeded in securing a special package for Bihar, let alone a special category status. There has been a sharp rise in incidents of murder and rapes in the recent past,” Qadri said.