Congress on a high, RJD offers a ‘strong local ally’
The mood at the offices of Congress and the RJD was visibly upbeat, as party leaders began celebrating the initial leads of the counting in assembly polls.
india Updated: Dec 12, 2018 09:20 ISTAssembly poll results in three BJP-ruled states—Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan—have pepped up the morale of the Grand Alliance (GA) leaders in Bihar.
The mood at the offices of Congress and the RJD was visibly upbeat, as party leaders began celebrating the initial leads of the counting. Crackers were burst and party leaders beat drums to celebrate their successes in the afternoon.
Buoyed by the people’s mandate in favour of the party in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Madan Mohan Jha said the days of ‘Jumlebaaz’ government at the Centre were numbered. “People have realised that Narendra Modi government has nothing to offer them in reality. They would vote aggressively in 2019 polls to give BJP a befitting reply,” said Jha.
More than the BJP’s defeat in its bastions, the results also re-established Congress as the only rallying force to take on and defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, Congress leaders said, while hoping it would strengthen the party’s position among its allies in Bihar to bargain for more seats in the 2019 parliamentary polls.
Apparently foreseeing the Congress’s upsurge in major states, former deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav already urged the party to let the ”strong local ally” in Bihar on the driving seat of the GA.
RJD MLA and spokesman Bhai Birendra called for bringing all secular parties under one umbrella to rout the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nationally. “It’s time for alliance politics and the Congress should also realise it if it wants to unseat the BJP from power,” he said.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesman and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra predicted that the results would speed up the process for disintegration of the NDA in Bihar and in rest of the country. “RLSP has already deserted the NDA, while other allies like Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP and Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) are waiting to quit,” he said.
Another senior Congress leader Kishore Kumar Jha said the results of recently held state polls, including those in Gujarat and Karnataka, had demonstrated the growing confidence of the people on Rahul Gandhi’s leadership quality. “It will pave the way for return of Congress and its ally to the power at the Centre,” said Jha.
First Published: Dec 12, 2018 09:20 IST