scorecardresearch
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomePoliticsCongress firms up Bihar alliance, shows strength at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan

Congress firms up Bihar alliance, shows strength at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan

Follow Us :
Text Size:

Amid a turnout of about 1.5 lakh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi shared the stage with RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and took the attack to PM Modi and CM Nitish.

Patna: At its first rally in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan in nearly 30 years, the Congress showed it was willing to play on the front foot ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in a few weeks’ time.

Addressing an impressive gathering of around 1.5 lakh people at the Jan Akanksha Rally, Congress president Rahul Gandhi firmed up its alliance with Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, and former BJP allies Rashtriya Lok Samta Party of Upendra Kushwaha and the Hindustan Awam Morcha of Jitan Ram Manjhi.

“I have said that we will fight the elections on the front foot in UP. Today, I am saying that we will fight the elections in Bihar also on the front foot – together with the RJD, RLSP and Manjhi ji,” Gandhi announced.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi addresses ‘Jan Akanksha Rally’ at Gandhi Maidan, in Patna | PTI

Tejashwi Yadav, the heir apparent of Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, joined Gandhi on stage and declared him worthy of being prime minister, but also had a message for the Congress.

In the middle of taking potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Yadav said: “Whenever we are asked, we say Rahul Gandhi has all the qualities of becoming the PM. But Congress is the largest political party and has the responsibility of keeping its allies together.”


Also read: BJP minister in Bihar under fire after saying Priyanka Gandhi has no quality except good looks


Congress set to accept Lalu’s offer

The alliance question has cropped up repeatedly in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, with the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party keeping the grand old party out of their alliance in UP. Yadav had visited Lucknow to congratulate them, giving rise to talk in political circles that the dreams of a ‘grand alliance’ may go pear-shaped in Bihar too, especially since Bihar Congress leaders were said to be demanding 15 of the state’s 40 Lok Sabha seats.

But with Sunday’s rally, the alliance looks set in stone, with Congress leaders hinting they may accept the offer of eight to 10 seats offered by Lalu Prasad.

“The thrust this time is to defeat the BJP and not the number of seats,” a Bihar Congress MLA said.

Attack on the incumbents

Gandhi promised that if the Congress came to power at the Centre, the Patna University would be given the status of a central university. This was a request made by Nitish Kumar to PM Modi when the latter came to attend the university’s centenary function in 2017, which the PM turned down.

The Congress president also mocked PM Modi for the recent announcement in the interim budget that farmers holding less than two hectares of land would be given Rs 6,000 per year.

“The PM gives Rs 17 per day to farmers. He gives away thousands of crores to 17 corporate friends,” Rahul remarked.


Also read: How Lalu Prasad is plotting to defeat Modi in Bihar from a jail in Jharkhand


Show of strength

The rally was a show of strength for the Congress, and it flew in the newly-elected chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh — Kamal Nath, Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel respectively.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath at Gandhi Maidan | PTI

Pointing them out to the crowd, Gandhi said: “I do not lie like Modi. I said in these states that farmers’ loans would be waived off within 10 days if the Congress was voted to power. The three CMs announced the implementation of the promise within two days of assuming power.”

The turnout at the rally was also a relief for the Congress, which has lost a lot of support in Bihar over the years. The party had been working for over a month to mobilise people to fill up Gandhi Maidan. A sizeable chunk of the crowd was said to have been brought in by the supporters of don-turned-independent MLA Anant Singh.

However, there were also many old Congress supporters who turned up, including some that were at Rahul’s father Rajiv Gandhi’s 1989 rally at Gandhi Maidan.

“I had come here in 1989, and I am happy that the party is trying to revive itself in Bihar. And while it’s not happening this time, I hope in the future, the party can stand on its feet alone and contest independently,” said Suman Jha, a 68-year-old farmer from Madhubani.

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular