Rahul holds consultations with MPs from Odisha, Jharkhand

Gearing up for Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi today held consultations with Congress MPs from tribal-dominated Odisha and Jharkhand, where the party is out of power for a decade.
He also met party MPs from Bihar, where it had been marginalised in the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Keen to widen the Congress base among tribals, Gandhi asked party men to take measures for a deeper connect with them in Odisha and Jharkhand. The issue of alliance was also raised during the interaction.
Gandhi is learnt to have asked the leaders to reach out various socio-religious and community leaders of various groups of tribals like Sarna.

The interaction also discussed in detail issues of different groups like RSS and Maoists making inroads among the tribals and the challenge before a centrist party like Congress in this case scenario.
Gandhi wanted the Congress leaders in Jharkhand and Odisha to chalk out an interaction programme with different sections of the tribals in these states.

Congress has never been in government in Jharkhand since it was carved out of Bihar in 2000. Congress is out of power in Odisha for the 10 years. In Bihar, it had shared power with Lalu Prasad-led RJD before 2005 but its rule in the state as a single party had ended almost two decades back.

Gandhi wanted an assessment from the MPs about the party's performance in the Assembly elections in 2013 and general elections in 2014 in the states.
MPs from Jharkhand, currently under President's rule after the fall of Arjun Munda government, apprised Gandhi about various options before Congress including forming an interim government there.
On the issue of alliance, Gandhi told the party leader from Jharkhand that he will talk to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in that regard.