Bihar Cong MLAs flown to Hyderabad: Sources
New Delhi/Patna: All but three MLAs of the Congress in Bihar, the second largest constituent of the Mahagathbandhan’, which lost power last week, were on Sunday flown to Hyderabad amid fears of poaching by the BJP-led NDA, party sources said.
When contacted, AICC Bihar in-charge Mohan Prakash neither confirmed nor denied the development, but asserted “rumours are being spread that Congress MLAs will break away, when the truth is that JD(U)
legislators are under pressure due to voters’ anger against them, after their party’s switch to the NDA”.
“They (JDU) should worry about keeping their flock together,” Prakash said.
Party leaders from Bihar had met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi, who took stock of the situation in the state, where the latest volte face of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president, has sent shockwaves in the Mahagathbandhan’ as well as the opposition INDIA bloc.
Congress has 19 MLAs in the state assembly out of whom 16 had turned up at the meeting, which was also attended by state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh and MLCs Prem Chandra Mishra and Madan Mohan Jha.
A party official in Bihar, who requested anonymity, said, “Those who did not turn up in Delhi included Avidur Rehman, the MLA from Araria. But, it is well known that he is busy taking care of his daughter who has been very unwell of late”.
However, the absentees also included Manohar Prasad Singh, the MLA from Manihari who is “expected to reach Hyderabad by Monday” and Siddharth Saurav, who represents the Bikram assembly constituency, and is known to be at daggers drawn with the current state leadership.
CPI(ML) Liberation Dipankar Bhattacharya, whose party is the third largest constituent of the grand alliance, told PTI over phone: “I am not aware of Congress MLAs being flown in to Hyderabad. But even if that is the case, it comes as no surprise in view of the BJP’s style of functioning”.
“BJP has a proven track record (of poaching MLAs). As a result, all parties are extra cautious. The saffron party is never known to shy away from indulging in dubious tactics,” said Bhattacharya.
However, the Congress sources said more than the BJP, it was Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), a former ally, which they suspect of trying to poach its MLAs.
