BJP makes sinking boat jibe at Congress in Jharkhand

The BJP on Tuesday drew an analogy between three former Jharkhand Congress Committee presidents quitting the party and people abandoning a sinking boat.

The three ex-PCC presidents who have resigned from the party are Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu, sitting MLA Sukhdeo Bhagat and Ajoy Kumar.

While Balmuchu joined the AJSU party, Bhagat and Kumar joined the BJP and Aam Admi party respectively.

"The Congress has lost the support of the people in the country as well as in Jharkhand. The evidence is that three former PCC presidents resigning from the party," BJPs spokesman Pratul Shahdeo said in a press statement.

Equating quitting of the former Congress leaders with people abandoning a sinking boat, Shahdeo said Bhagat joined the BJP after he was influenced by the developmental works by the Raghubar Das government in the state.

"A party president is the face of any party. When three ex-presidents of a party quit it shows the state of affairs in that party. Pradeep Balmuchu quit after holding the PCC presidents post for nearly a decade, Shahdeo said.

The BJP leader further said that the Congress, which had won 14 seats in 2009 assembly elections was reduced to seven seats in 2014 and in this election the Congress will be wiped out.

As per the opposition alliance, the Congress is contesting in 31 seats in the ensuing five-phase elections, beginning on November 30 and concluding on December 20. Counting will take place on December 23.

The JMM is fighting in 43 seats while the RJD has been given seven seats as per the seat-sharing formula of the opposition alliance.