Congress Launches Damage Control in Bihar and Jharkhand Amid Internal Tensions

The Congress party intensified its damage-control efforts in Bihar and Jharkhand on Friday, holding high-level meetings to counter speculation of instability and address growing discontent among its legislators. In New Delhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge convened a brainstorming session at his residence with Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, the state’s six newly elected MLAs, and senior Bihar leaders. The gathering aimed to project unity after the party secured only six seats despite contesting around 60 in the recent Assembly elections.

AICC in-charge for Bihar Krishna Allavaru dismissed widespread rumours that the six MLAs were preparing to desert the party and join JD(U), labelling such reports as “bogus” and “completely baseless.” Venugopal pointed out that all six MLAs attended the meeting, countering claims sparked by their absence from some state-level discussions on issues like MGNREGA. Sources indicated Rahul Gandhi appeared visibly upset during the nearly two-hour session, which was intended to demonstrate cohesion but did not delve into selecting a Congress Legislature Party leader.

Adding to the optics, independent MP Pappu Yadav made multiple visits to Kharge’s residence after initially being overlooked in the invite list, highlighting efforts to manage alliances and perceptions. Other key attendees included senior state figures like Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Rajesh Kumar, Ranjeet Ranjan, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Madan Mohan Jha.

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In Jharkhand, five disgruntled Congress MLAs—Rajesh Kachhap, Bhushan Bara, Naman Vixal Kongari, Sonaram Sinku, and Suresh Baitha—met Kharge directly after discussions with state in-charge K Raju and Venugopal. The legislators openly criticised the four Congress ministers in the state government, alleging poor performance, sidelining of MLAs, and failure to establish boards and corporations a year after assuming power. They demanded a review and possible reshuffle, questioning key portfolios held by ministers like Radha Krishna Kishore (finance), Shilpi Neha Tirkey (ST quota), and Irfan Ansari amid ongoing controversies.

The MLAs stressed organisational loyalty and insisted ministers should not act superior, reflecting deeper resentment over high-command decisions and perceived neglect of grassroots leaders. The back-to-back interventions underscore the Congress’s urgency to stabilise its position in two crucial Hindi-heartland states following electoral setbacks and coalition strains.

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