BIHAR CONGRESS ON THE VERGE
OF SPILIT (repost from newgroups hindu)
BIHAR CONGRESS ON THE VERGE OF
SPLIT
Patna (Pioneer News Service) - The Bihar Congress plunged
towards a split at the organisational level, as the
newly-elected MLAs were showing sign of falling in line
with the party high command's willingness to extend
support to the RJD.
The State unit leaders have decided to convene a meeting
of senior Congressmen, past and present MLAs and MPs,
district and block Congress presidents, PCC office-
bearers and AICC members to formalise a split in the
event of the high command's formal announcement of
support to the RJD.
BPCC general secretary Anil Sharma confirmed the meeting
and told 'The Pioneer' that "support to the RJD would
decimate the Congress organisation in Bihar."
On a day of hectic activity in the Congress camp, almost
all senior leaders held several rounds of meeting and
faxed dozens of frantic messages to Ms Sonia Gandhi to
refrain from extending support to the RJD.
The Congressmen has also decided to sit on dharna before
the statue of Indira Gandhi at the party headquarters at
Sadakat Ashram to mount pressure on the high command
against toeing the RJD line.
The Congress leaders swung into action after signals
emanating from Delhi indicated that the party high
command had made up its mind to once again come to rescue
of Mr Laloo Yadav.
At the end of the date the State executive committee of
the Congress met under the chairmanship of working
president Ram Jatan Sinha and sounded clear warning of an
imminent split.
In a strongly worded signed statement, the members said,
"This meeting is seriously anxious that the unity among
the rank and file of the Congress party should be
maintainated at all cost, but there is also genuine
apprehension that any support to Mr Laloo Yadav and his
RJD, on whatever condition, will drive the Congressmen to
the state of desperation when the unfortunate and
dangerous consequences of breaking-up of the party may
not be averted."
The statement was signed by former BPCC chief Lahtan
Chaudhary, outgoing CLP leader Ramashrya Prasad Singh,
Congress leader in the Legislative Council Umeshwar
Prasad Verma, former Speaker Prof Shivchandra Jha, BPCC
working presidents Ram Jatan Sinha, Dilkeshwar Ram and
Manorama Singh, former AICC general secretary Ram Ratan
Ram, BPCC general secretaries Kirpanath Pathak and Anil
Sharma and Bihar Pradesh Mahila Congress president Jyoti.
Other senior Congress leaders present in the meeting
included several former MPs and MLAs including Bandhu
Mahato, Awdhesh Kumar Singh, Palamu DCC president Radha
Krishna Kishore, Laxmi Devi, former minister Arjun Vikram
Shah, Braj Kishore Narain Singh, PN Pathak, Tara Nath
Sada and others.
The State executive also warned the high command of a
fear of back-stabbing by Mr Laloo Yadav in future.
"Looking at the past history and political movements of
the RJD chief it is just possible that at this hour of
his political crisis, he may accept any condition which
will only end in betray in future," they said.
Earlier, a separate meeting, which was open to non-
executive members also, expressed similar sentiments and
faxed a letter to Ms Sonia Gandhi to desist from
supporting Mr Laloo Yadav.
"The members felt that any alliance or support to the RJD
on any condition will prove suicidal and it may lead to
the party workers on the point of no return," the members
said in a statement. Almost all senior leaders of Bihar
Congress were present in the meeting.
Thursday, March 2, 2000
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