NDA not done poaching in Bihar: state Cong chief Choudhary may join too
It looks like Gujarat is not the only state where Congress MLAs are leaving the party for greener pastures. The churn in Bihar's politics, triggered by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's switch from the Grand Alliance to the NDA, is likely to have direct implications for the Congress party's state unit.
The Congress is already facing flak for being unable to save the alliance, despite having known about Nitish's plans for months in advance, per Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
Reports have now emerged that at least six Congress legislators may be planning to desert the party and join either the JD(U) or the BJP.
What is likely to make this possible move more damaging for the Congress is that this group is likely to be led by none other than Bihar Congress president, Ashok Choudhary.
A source told Catch that Choudhary, education minister in Nitish's erstwhile Grand Alliance government, is in touch with the JD(U).
All hinges on Sharad Yadav
The source said Choudhary, an MLC, and at least five other MLAs/MLCs could switch to the NDA if senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav decides to revolt against his party.
Yadav is said to be upset with Nitish for once again breaking an alliance and forging another one without taking him into confidence. He wasn't happy with Nitish when he had dumped the BJP in 2013.
The speculation is that Yadav may revolt against Nitish's decision this time by resigning from the JD(U), and also taking half a dozen JD(U) legislators in Bihar along with him. The veteran may then join Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal, or float his own outfit.
While only Yadav's departure may not matter much for the JD(U), the loss of other legislators will be a setback for the NDA. It is in such a situation, the source said, that Choudhary will step forward and join the JD(U).
Nitish had received the support of 131 MLAs in the trust vote in the Bihar Assembly after taking oath at the head of the NDA government. The loss of six MLAs will bring the NDA's tally down to 125, dangerously close to the magic number of 122 in the 243-member House. The Opposition, led by the RJD, has 112 MLAs.
Choudhary's baggage
Choudhary, a Dalit and son of veteran Congressman Mahaveer Choudhary, was appointed as chief of the party's state unit in 2013. He is often seen as Rahul Gandhi's pick for the top job, even though he hails from a Congress family and had already served as a minister in the RJD-Congress government in 2000, which was led by Lalu's wife Rabri Devi.
However, in spite of his stature, Choudhary has had a controversial past, with cases deeply problematic for his career.
Not too long ago, he was named as a 'conspirator' behind the murder of former Congress MP Rajo Singh, who was shot dead at the district Congress office in Sheikhpura on 9 September 2005. His grandson named Choudhary in a deposition before a lower court.
Choudhary admitted much later that his name was indeed mentioned in the FIR in the murder case, but added that the police investigation had subsequently found no evidence against him. His name was eventually dropped from the FIR, but the court testimony reopened the case in 2013, soon after his appointment as Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief.
Case of fraud against wife too
While the murder case appears to have been much diluted now, there is a more solid case for any opponent in power to corner Choudhary. This pertains to a bank fraud case against his wife, Neeta Keshkar Choudhary, who was charged along with two others for duping the Punjab National Bank of about Rs 3 crore (http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/newly-appointed-bihar-congress-chiefs-wife--faces-forgery-charges.html).
Following the bank's complaint, the CBI had started probing the matter. The probe is said to be going on even now, and the agency reportedly has a lot of evidence against her.
With such serious cases, it will be difficult for Choudhary to save himself from the law enforcement agencies if the NDA government decides to pursue them. It is easy to arm-twist him to switch his political affiliation in these circumstances.
But even without these cases, the general state of affairs in the Congress party is making the situation easier for the NDA.
First published: 3 August 2017, 22:19 IST
