‘Tejashwi Yadav leading Bihar alliance coordination panel … not our mandate to announce anyone as CM face': Congress state in-charge

Indian Express

12 hours ago

As the NDA and INDIA bloc begin gearing up for the Bihar Assembly polls, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi visiting the state at regular intervals, the Congress's Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru speaks to The Indian Express about the party's revival strategy, ties with ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the challenges posed by the ruling NDA and newcomer Prashant Kishor. Excerpts:
* The Congress has been in the shadows in Bihar for almost 30 years now. How are you planning to re-energise the party?
The Congress got so weak in the past that its repair will take time. But we have been working hard on all fronts, right from social justice to political justice. When we say political justice, we are talking about representational politics. Our Bihar team, led by Pradesh Congress Committee president Rajesh Kumar, will announce its committee soon. We will try for a much better social balance than in past teams.
* There has been criticism that choosing Rajesh Kumar, a Dalit leader, as the state Congress chief is just symbolism…
No. Rajesh Kumar has been associated with the party for a long time and has contributed immensely to the organisation. Along with Congress Legislature Party leader Shakil Ahmad Khan, he is our Bihar face. Rahul Gandhi has been focusing on representation from as many social segments as possible. We have also redone our district committees, giving good representation to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), minorities, and Dalits.
* What is the Congress's strategy to convince voters?
We have been talking about migration, unemployment, poor quality education, and greater participation of women in politics, government and non-government sectors. Rahul Gandhi has been addressing 'Samvidhan Bachao (Save the Constitution)' meetings. He also met EBC, OBC, and Dalit students in Darbhanga. The Bihar government has been so terrified by our plans to reach out to students that they tried their best to stop Rahul Gandhi from meeting the students. Haven't BJP and JD(U) leaders organised functions in schools and colleges? But they foisted a false case on our leader for holding a meeting without permission.
* What do you make of the Centre announcing a caste enumeration in the next population Census?
They have done so under our pressure. The demand for a nationwide caste census has been our agenda. We still think that the NDA is not serious about it. Their conscience is not clear. Had it been so, it would have devised policies as per the findings of the Bihar caste-based survey. But we will keep talking about it in a phased manner through meetings and yatras. Rahul Gandhi is in Nalanda on June 6 to further pitch for social and political justice.
* How are the Congress's ties with the RJD? Is Tejashwi Yadav the leader or the chief ministerial face of Mahagathbandhan?
Our INDIA bloc allies have their distinct strengths. We have to complement and supplement one another. The coordination committee is the supreme body for discussing all issues, from joint rallies to seat sharing. There have been coordination committee meetings at the district level, too. As for Tejashwi, he is the leader of the coordination committee. It is not the Congress's mandate to announce anyone as the CM face. It is the collective job of all allies to announce their leader at the right time.
* Is the 'jungle raj' tag for the RJD holding the Congress back from declaring Tejashwi as the Mahagathbandhan's leader?
The real 'jungle raj' is being witnessed under the current NDA regime. One can see the rising graph of crime in recent times. There has been too much interference from the bureaucracy in governance.
* Is there any concern that you may end up contesting fewer seats as part of the alliance since it won just 19 of the 70 seats it contested in 2020?
We cannot speculate on seat sharing. We aim for a strong Congress that will make the INDIA bloc stronger. Our campaign is not region-specific; our focus is on quality seats. Seat sharing will be completed well ahead of the polls.
* What is the Congress's view on National Students' Union of India (NSUI) in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar's role? Can one see Tejashwi and Kanhaiya sharing the dais during campaign events?
Kanhaiya is a very good orator. People come to listen to him. He connects well with people. We hope Tejashwi and Kanhaiya share the dais. This is more a matter of perception than reality. We have a vast line-up of leaders who will campaign in Bihar. Besides national party president Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, and other senior leaders will campaign.
* Will the NDA's nationalism pitch following Operation Sindoor make things tough for the Opposition in the elections?
Ours is a win-win alliance. On the contrary, we see the NDA constituents wavering. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has switched sides so many times that we will not be surprised if he does it again. LJP (RV) leader Chirag Paswan looks non-committal towards the NDA with his recent statements (on wanting to contest the Assembly polls). Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha is also wavering.
As for the nationalistic pitch around Operation Sindoor, US President Donald Trump exposed the myth of Narendra Modi's nationalism with his social media post on brokering the ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
* How big a factor will Nitish Kumar be?
Nitish Kumar is a nice person. But he is no longer running his party or the government. A handful of people have taken control over him. He has not been able to provide employment. Nor could he bring big industries to Bihar as was done during the Congress's rule. Whatever little employment the Bihar government could give, it was during the Mahagathbandhan government.
* Will Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor be a factor in the Assembly polls?
He is trying hard to be a factor. But he is struggling.