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Ahluwalia exposes chinks in Congress's Bihar stand

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The recent outburst against the party high command by senior Congressman S S Ahluwalia, who disagreed in public with the party position on Bihar, has thrown up in bold relief the party's dilemma pertaining to the politically-crucial state.

Ahluwalia, in his outburst, questioned the party leadership's stand that there was no law and order problem in Bihar, and emphasised that considering the recent developments in the state, it was a fit case for the imposition of President's rule.

Ahluwalia, however, sought to seek his skin by pledging his loyalty to Congress president Sonia Gandhi even as he differed with her over Bihar. This has spurred another senior party leader Tariq Anwar to clarify that Ahluwalia's outpourings constituted his personal views and that the party had its own stance on the matter.

Naturally the Congress leadership has fallen short of initiating any disciplinary action against him although others felt that he should not have aired his grievance through the media. Ahluwalia has also sought to buttress his case by quoting from the documents released at the recently-concluded Congress brain-storming session at Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh. Thus, Ahulwalia appears to have driven home his point without really antagonising the party high command.

However, recent developments concerning Bihar have provided ample cause for concern to many Congressmen who feel that Ahluwalia was not entirely wrong. A senior leader belonging to Madhya Pradesh pointed out that even Union minister Ramakrishna Hegde had favoured President's rule in place of Rabri Devi.

The deafening silence from the Bihar chief minister over the recent abduction of a young girl, carried out in front of her parents in Patna and who was brutally raped by three men, seems to have caused further discomfiture within the Congress. Party leaders from the state, including Sarfraz Ahmed, are understood to have repeatedly urged the central high command to distance itself from and condemn the Bihar government.

It is learnt that Congressmen from Bihar are planning to approach Congress Working Committee members in a bid to persuade them to change their mind on Bihar, and that the former will not rest until the party reverses its stand.

While Ahluwalia was not available for comment, Congress functionaries said his appraisal of the Bihar law and order situation was uncannily similar to the BJP's contention that 'jungle raj' prevailed in the state.

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