Ex-Bihar Congress working president Ashok Ram joins JD(U) ahead of assembly polls
In a blow to the Congress party before the Bihar elections, senior leader Ashok Ram defected to Nitish Kumar's JD(U), citing neglect of Dalits within the Congress after nearly 40 years of association. Sanjay Kumar Jha welcomed Ram, hinting at further defections from the Congress, while the Congress criticized Ram as an opportunist.
Ex-Bihar Congress working president Ashok Ram joins JD(U) ahead of assembly polls In a setback for the Congress ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, its senior leader Ashok Ram on Sunday joined Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), alleging that "Dalits were being ignored" in the party with which he had been associated for nearly four decades.He was welcomed into the JD(U) by its working president and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Kumar Jha, who claimed that "there is a stampede in the Congress. Many of its leaders are still in touch with us".
Ram, a several-term former MLA, had been a working president of the Bihar Congress."Ashok Ram has a strong influence across all sections of society. His grassroots connection will certainly prove beneficial for JD(U). The Congress party's treatment and acceptance of Dalits is well known," Jha said.After joining the JD(U), Ram said, "Nitish Kumar is a visionary leader and he is committed to public welfare".
The Congress slammed Ram for crossing over to the JD(U), claiming that he was a "rank opportunist".
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