Trouble Brewing In Bihar Cong On Eve Of Kesris Visit

Congress president Sitaram Kesri will arrive here today amid discontent in the Bihar unit of the party with supporters of former Union minister Jagannath Mishra deciding to boycott his engagements to protest against the high-commands overtures of friendship with the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Kesris maiden visit to his home state after taking over as the president of the party has generated more controversy than expected. AICC member and his former protege Premchandra Mishra and his supporters disassociated themselves from all his official functions.

Jagannath Mishra, who has thrice been Chief Minister of the state, has been most strident in his criticism of Kesri and has charged him with ensuring the survival of the RJD ministry in Bihar by supporting the Rabri Devi government during the trust vote sought by it in July.

The Congress leadership faltered in dealing the death blow to the RJD government by abstaining from voting on the trust vote sought by Laloo Prasad Yadav and then by supporting the Rabri Devi ministry after his resignation, Mishra toldPTI.

Our party became instrumental in the survival of the corrupt RJD ministries when they appeared most vulnerable..even on the verge of collapse, Mishra said.

He said that his supporters would not attend the workers meet to be addressed by Kesri today as support lent by the party leadership to RJD government lacks the mandate of congressemen working at the grassroot level.

His supporters, including some former ministers and legislators, had recently taken umbrage at AICC general secretary Tariq Anwars fulminations against Mishra holding the him responsible for the sorry state of the party in Bihar.

Congress cannot be revitalised in the state if leaders like Mishra are continued to be slighted and marginalised, they said.

On the other hand, former state president of NSUI, the students wing of the party, Premchandra Mishra yesterday resolved to boycott all official programmes of the Bihar Congress to protest against the high-commands baffling silence on the issue of supporting the ruling RJD.

The party leadership is yet to make it clear that it will not have any alliance with RJD and wage a war against corruption, he said.