Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday stepped in to resolve the faction feud in Bihar as he met several party MLAs amid reports that at least 14 MLAs are planning to leave the party. Although the Congress high command has confirmed that there was an attempt to poach its MLAs, it has not yet responded to claims by section of party leaders that state unit chief Ashok Choudhary was behind the split attempt.
Choudhary continues to be the state unit chief despite such allegations having come to public domain. Sources said at least 10 MLAs met Rahul after the latter on Tuesday summoned all the party’s 27 MLAs to Delhi. Sources said most of the MLAs who met Rahul owe their allegiance to Choudhary. Most of them are learnt to have told Rahul that there is an attempt to malign Choudhary by a section of party leaders and fingers were pointed at former Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh.
Singh was among those who aspire to become the next Bihar Congress president in the event of Choudhary’s replacement. Some MLAs are learnt to have told Rahul that the party should go alone in Bihar as the association with Lalu Prasad’s RJD was not in the long term interest of the party. The Congress vice-president will meet rest of the MLAs, many of them hardcore critics of Choudhary, on Thursday, and a final decision on change of guard in Bihar is expected to be taken after the present round of consultations.
