Tensions flare within Bihar’s Mahagathbandhan as Tejashwi Yadav walks out of a crucial seat-sharing meeting with Congress leaders. Ashok Gehlot steps in to mediate between RJD and Congress amid growing discord ahead of the state assembly elections.
Tensions flare within Bihar’s Mahagathbandhan as Tejashwi Yadav walks out of a crucial seat-sharing meeting with Congress leaders. Ashok Gehlot steps in to mediate between RJD and Congress amid growing discord ahead of the state assembly elections. (Image Credit: The Hindu)
NEW DELHI: It was a sunny afternoon in Delhi on October 13, when Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihst Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav after a court hearing in IRCTC hotels case came to meet the Congress leaders to finalise the sest sharing deal. However, despite Tejashwi Yadav speaking over phone to Congress top leadership did not yield any result as impasse over seat sharing continued.
Sources in the Mahagatbandhan revealed that during the meeting with Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, Bihar incharge Krishna Allavaru, state unit chief Rajesh Ram and CLP Leader Shakil Ahmed Khan, everything was not well when Tejashwi Yadav and party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Yadav walked out of the meeting.
The source said, Tejashwi did not show much of expression on his face but his body language was evident that he was unhappy the way in which the Congress leaders once again bargained very hardly for at least five to seven even as the RJD leader was agreeing to offer 54 seats to the grand old party.
But what annoyed Tejashwi was the approach of Allavaru for the seats of -- Narkatiaganj, Vaishali, Rajapakar, Rosera, Bachhwara, Kahalgaon, Biharsharif, and Sikandara, which he claimed to be Congress traditional seats.
The RJD leader left the meeting miffed showing clear signs of discord in the Mahagatbandhan, he said.
The source also revealed that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was ready and sitting at home to give a final word to the seat sharing formula but his wait continued as Tejashwi Yadav after completing the meeting with Venugopal and then left for Patna.
With Tejashwi Yadav leaving for Patna and remaining incommunicado with the Congress leadership, it was Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi who dialed Lalu Prasad Yadav on last Thursday to placate the matter and asked him to reach on consensus over seat sharing deal.
But with every day passing, the Congress understood that Allavaru, who has been given free hand in Bihar to finalise the seat sharing pact, has erred in judging the Lalu Prasad Yadav's family negotiation skills over sest sharing, the source claimed.
He further stated that looking at the way in which the Mahagatbandhan was losing steam in Bihar, the Congress leadership did not want to repeat the 2005 February fiasco where it contested in alliance with the Ramvilas Paswan led LJP after talks with the RJD for an alliance failed. This led to a fractured mandate in Bihar and imposition of the President's rule and elections being conducted in October again.
Looking at the cold war gaining momentum in the Mahagatbandhan, the Congress decided to send its 'jaadugar' (magician) Ashok Gehlot to hold talks with none other than Lalu Prasad Yadav.
But before this, Venugopal had a telephonic conversation with Tejashwi Yadav to organise a meeting between the two party leaders in Patna.
Gehlot, a Congress veteran and former Rajasthan chief minister, who has also been appointed senior observer in Bihar soon came into action, as he immediately reached Patna and held discussions with Lalu Praaad Yadav, the former railway minister and former chief minister in presence of his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi and his son Tejashwi.
Sources indicated that Gehlot, who has faced several storms in his political career took the job and placated the Yadav family in Bihar by promising the announcement of Tejashwi Yadav as Mahagatbandhan's chief Ministerial face and also to get the names of few candidates withdrawn from some of the seats where there is a situation of friendly fight.
On number of occasions, the Congress has avoided naming Tejashwi as Mahagatbamdhan's chief Ministerial face by saying that the decision will be taken after polls.
Even Rahul Gandhi, during his 16 day Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar along with Tejashwi, in a joint presser dodged the question by saying that the alliance is moving ahead with much more better coordination this time.
Voting for 243 member assembly in Bihar js scheduled to take place in two phases, first on November 6 and second on November 11, while thr counting of votes will take place on November 14.
The Congress has named 61 candidates while the RJD has also fielded 143 candidates in this year polls leaving rest of the seats for the Left parties and others in the alliance.
