Gehlot Meets Lalu to Ease Tensions Within I.N.D.I.A. Bloc
Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, apparently under instructions from the party's top leadership, flew down to hold talks with RJD president Lalu Prasad and his son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav.
New Delhi, Patna: Former Rajasthan chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, who met RJD president Lalu Prasad on Wednesday in an effort to defuse tensions within the I.N.D.I.A. bloc in poll bound Bihar, said that an electoral victory was “extremely important” for the Opposition alliance after its recent setback in Maharashtra.
Gehlot, however, avoided a direct answer when asked whether the Congress was ready to project Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD chief’s son and heir apparent, as the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate. “Why do you want me to make such an announcement?” he retorted when reporters questioned him about the Congress’s stand on Yadav, who had recently urged people to make Rahul Gandhi the next prime minister.
Referring to the rapport between the two leaders, Gehlot said, “You saw the chemistry between Rahul and Tejashwi during the Voter Adhikar Yatra two months ago when they travelled together across the state. They will take an appropriate decision at the right time.”
Gehlot was accompanied by Krishna Allavaru, AICC’s Bihar in-charge, who has faced criticism from some state party leaders for mishandling local coordination.
On the eve of a planned joint press conference of I.N.D.I.A. bloc allies, Tejashwi Yadav announced a set of poll promises, including regularising all contractual workers in government departments and making about two lakh ‘community mobilisers’ among Jeevika Didis permanent employees if the alliance comes to power.
Gehlot downplayed the timing of these announcements, saying “all is well” within the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. On arrival in Patna earlier, he told reporters that “a friendly fight in five or ten seats is no big deal” and expressed confidence that the differences would be resolved “by the last date for withdrawal of nominations.” However, five of the disputed seats fall in the first phase of polling, for which the deadline has already passed, suggesting that contests are inevitable.
“It is extremely important for us to win these elections—especially after the Maharashtra loss. The Bihar polls will set the tone for national politics. The NDA, which has divided society and damaged the economy, must face a setback. The people of Bihar are wise enough to recognise this,” Gehlot said.
He also claimed that the NDA faced greater internal turmoil than the Opposition alliance, but that the media chose not to highlight it “due to bias in favour of the ruling coalition.”
Party insiders said Congress turned to the experienced Gehlot to help navigate tensions within the alliance, as Allavaru and state unit chief Rajesh Ram needed additional support to deal with the RJD.
Meanwhile, during his poll promise announcement, Yadav said community mobilisers would receive a monthly salary of ₹30,000, while Jeevika Didis would get loan waivers, ₹5 lakh health insurance, and an additional ₹2,000 monthly allowance for performing government-related duties. Over 1.45 crore Jeevika Didis are currently active across Bihar.
Yadav also reiterated his earlier pledge of providing a government job to every household within 20 months of assuming power and enacting a law guaranteeing employment within 20 days of forming the government.
“The people of Bihar have made up their minds for change,” Mr. Yadav said, accusing the double-engine NDA government of failing to address corruption, crime, unemployment, and migration.
