Aicc Team Reaches Patna On Save Party Mission

The Mohsina Kidwai-Ajit Jogi AICC team arrived here on Wednesday afternon on yet another `save party' mission, as dissent surfaced in the Bihar Congress Legislature Party (CLP) ahead of Thursday' crucial confidence vote to decide the immediate future of the Rabri Devi Government.

According to highly placed Congress sources here, tempers were running high in the CLP, which has badly divided over the issue of its leadership. Just 12 out of the 22 party MLAs are said to have attended the CLP meeting on Tuesday at which Jamtara MLA Furkan Ansari was declared elected as the new Bihar CLP leader.

 

The sources said Bermo MLA and veteran INTUC leader Rajendra Prasad Singh was very upset over the manner in which his claim for both the CLP leadership and BPCC presidentship had been ignored. Serving his fourth consecutive term as MLA, Mr Singh had also been PCC treasurer.

As per reports, Mr Singh and several other Congress MLAs preferred to stay away from the CLP election meeting at the Taylor Road residence of former PCC chief Sarfaraz Ahmad even though they were in the State Capital. However, two other MLAs, Pradeep Balmuchu and Bagun Sumbruti were out of station.

Many Congress MLAs are also apprehensive that despite assurance from the party's leadership to the contrary, they still might end up missing the ministerial omnibus that Chief Minister Rabri Devi was expected to put on display after the confidence vote.

There were also indications that RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav might not find it easy to accommodate the Congress demands, both in terms of the number of ministerial berths and the portfolios being sought by the party. For, to concede them all, would leave Mr Yadav with very little to offer to his own 122 RJD MLAs.

Congress leaders are reportedly staking their claims to most of the portfolios regarded as `plum' and many party MLAs have already gone on record to name departments of their choice with the additional rider that they would settle for nothing else. Deo Kumar Dhan, for instance, told the media he wanted the Rural Development Department or none.

Then Mr Yadav would have to reckon with the RJD Congress common minimum programme clause of inserting programme clause of inserting technocratsin the Rabri Ministry. The idea has been labelled as impractical by some given the already unmanageable claims of the elected MLAs.

Although AICC general secretary Kidwai and spokesman Jogi were given a warm welcome at the airport by senior PCC leaders, only a handful of MLAs were present. During in afternoon sermonizing session at a local hotel too quite a few legislators were missing.