Congress Looks Upbeat In The State

For the first time in decades, the Congress looks upbeat in the state.

- Amitabh Srivastava

Sadaquat Ashram, the Congress headquarters in Patna, is buzzing with activity. State leaders led by Pradesh Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha are preparing for Rahul Gandhi’s Jan Akanksha rally (rally for people’s hopes) on February 3, the Congress’s first ‘stand-alone’ public meeting in Patna in years. Ninety-five ‘observers’ have fanned out to Bihar’s 38 districts to bring people to the event.

“Rahul has laid bare the NDA, and Narendra Modi has been exposed for failing to deliver on his big promises. Radicalism has trumped the prime minister’s promised vikas,” says Chandan Yadav, AICC secretary in-charge of Chhattisgarh, who is helping out with the preparations in Patna.

The mood in the Bihar Congress has been upbeat since December when the party snatched three ‘heartland’ states from the BJP. “And now, we also have Priyanka Gandhi. Her formal entry into politics will have a spillover effect in Bihar,” says a senior Congress leader. “This is like a booster dose for the party after the assembly election victories.”