JD(U), Congress may join hands
RJD had earlier wanted to give the Congress few seats, which had infuriated senior party leaders
By : nayear azad
Update: 2015-06-02 02:02 GMT
Patna: The Congress is learnt to have stepped in amid reports of a growing divide between Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and advised both, particularly Mr Yadav, to end their tussle over choosing a leader for the anti-BJP alliance. State Congress leaders said on Monday they had no objection to accepting Nitish Kumar’s leadership as “he has an image of Mr Clean and is still known as Vikas Purush”.
State Congress chief Ashok Choudhary said after meeting party chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi that the party was ready to contest the coming Assembly elections in alliance with the JD(U). It is learnt this followed an assurance by Mr Kumar of a good number of seats. Sources said Mr Kumar was likely to meet Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi soon.
The RJD had earlier wanted to give the Congress few seats, which had infuriated senior party leaders. “The Congress shares a very good rapport and coordination with us; we have contested by-elections together earlier and would like to contest more elections in future. I am confident about an alliance with the Congress”, Mr Nitish Kumar said on Monday.
Meanwhile, senior RJD leader R.P.S Singh once again in order to prove his point played Manjhi card and said “declaring Nitish Kumar as the leader would be fatal as Dalits are angry with him for removing Jitan Ram Manjhi. Some factions in the state too are not happy with him.”