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Congress yielded to Bihar MLAs' pressure

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The apex Congress Working Committee last night yielded to pressure from the 23 Bihar members of legislative assembly to join the Rabri Devi government.

Senior party leader told reporters after the CWC meeting that it was the desire of the Bihar legislators to share power in the state. He, however, pointed out that the Congress would join the Rabri Devi government after it successfully obtains a vote of confidence later this week.

"Yes, the high command was astounded by the strident desire of our Bihar legislators to share power in the state," said an aide of senior Bihar party leader and assembly Speaker Sadanand Singh who arrived in New Delhi yesterday.

"Sadanandji indicated that it was in the overall interest of the Congress to join the Rabri Devi government and urged the leadership to pave the way for the new chapter in Bihar," he said.

The common minimum programme, worked out between the RJD and the Congress, would form the basis for the latter's joining the government.

The number of ministers and portfolios including the appointment of a deputy chief minister would be discussed by the two parties, Congress sources said.

It has been indicated that a "lively discussion" ensued during last night's CWC meeting wherein some members referred to the party's Pachmarhi declaration. The declaration had envisaged the Congress would not be part of any coalition.

However, the Bihar Congress unit leaders, who favour a power-sharing arrangement with the RJD, have reportedly said that these were "special circumstances" which needed ''extraordinary solutions''.

It has also been pointed out that South Bihar legislators were likely to agitate for the creation of the Jharkhand state if they were excluded from the Rabri Devi government.

RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav has said that the Rabri Devi ministry will neither be ''too small nor too large''.

The Congress dilemma over Bihar has been highlighted by the fact that, in the last three days, the CWC had met twice to thrash a way out.

Despite the party's decision to join the Bihar government, the Congress move is open to ''many imponderables'', the sources pointed out.

They said the Jharkhand issue would continue to remain the bone of contention between the Congress and RJD because of the latter's "wishy-washy attitude on it".

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