137 JD-U and BJP leaders join Congress in Bihar

In a boost to Congress in Bihar, as many as 137 Janata Dal-United and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders including the former JD-U spokesperson Shambhunath Sinha Thursday joined the Congress.

Sinha and others were given primary membership of the Congress by the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Chaudhary at a function held at the Sadakat Ashram in Patna.

Speaking on the occasion, Chaudhary urged all former Congressmen who had joined other parties to return to their parent party and strengthen it ahead of the next general elections.

He also had a dig at the JD-U and BJP for fighting a battle of attrition among themselves over the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's elevation as the BJP's poll campaign chief and possible parting of ways between the two NDA allies despite best efforts of the BJP patriarch L K Advani.

"The NDA government is lying on ventilator and grasping for its last breath," the BPCC president said and claimed that the Bihar Congress will play an important role in the state politics in future apparently hinting that the four-member Congress legislature party may extend support to the Nitish Kumar government if the JD-U severe ties with the BJP.

Besides Sinha, the other prominent JD-U and BJP leaders joining the Congress are -- Rajkishore Singh, Premnath Paswan, Anil Kumar Nag, Rajesh Sinha, Pranav Pandey, Bhola Sharma, Sanjay Sharma and Rahul Kumar Singh.