Ex-Bihar Cong chief attends JD (U) feast, raises eyebrows

Former Bihar Congress president Ashok Choudhary attending the feast organised by JD (U) on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Sunday raised many eyebrows.

In the feast organised by State JD (U) president Bashisht Narayan Singh at his Patna residence all the other alliance partners within the Bihar NDA, including senior BJP leader Sushil Modi, were invited.  Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Choudhary also graced the occasion. However, the most noticeable guest on the occasion was Ashok Choudhary along with other party legislator Dilip Choudhary.

Ashok was Bihar's Education Minister in Nitish Cabinet when the grand alliance was ruling the state. However, soon after Nitish severed ties with the RJD and the Congress, the party high command removed Ashok from the post of the Bihar Congress chief.

He was charged with planning a coup within the party so as to cross over the fence to Nitish's outfit with his breakaway group. But the two-thirds legislator could not weaned away from the parent party and hence the 'coup' died a premature death.

However, the Congress, which has 27 members in the Assembly, is now always suspicious over the rebel leader's next move. Ashok was conspicuous by his absence when the CLP leader Sadanand Singh convened a party meeting on Saturday but managed to find time to attend JD (U) feast on Sunday.

Ashok, however, appeared unperturbed over such charge. "I have very high regards for Bashishtha Babu. He is like a guardian to me. So I could not say no when he invited me for Makar Sankranti," said Ashok, enjoying the media glare.

It is pertinent to mention here that one needs the support of at least 18 Congress MLAs to form a breakaway faction, which could eventually merge with the JD (U), which has 71 members in the 243-member House.