Bihar: Congress leader sparks tension with RJD, demands 'two deputy CMs, including a Muslim'

Patna: Congress leader Shanawaz Alam fired a fresh salvo at Bihar ally RJD on Wednesday, saying his party would like to have "two deputy chief ministers, including a Muslim" if the coalition formed the next government in the state.

The AICC secretary, who is also the state’s co-in charge, was criticised by the domineering ally for "violating coalition dharma" even as the ruling NDA chuckled at the spat.

Alam, who is currently touring the state, told a gathering of Congress workers, "It is our resolve (sankalp) that if the next government is headed by Tejashwi Yadav, our party shall have two deputy CMs, one a Muslim and the other from upper castes (samanya varg)." The Congress leader's remark appeared aimed at reaching out to his party’s traditional support base, which includes Muslims, upper castes, and Dalits.

However, this did not sit well with the RJD, which has gained from the erosion of Congress' Muslim base and has been particularly upset by Alam’s recent comment that the "strike rate in Lok Sabha polls" should be considered when finalising the seat-sharing formula for the Assembly elections.

Notably, in the general elections, the Congress won only three out of the nine seats it contested, whereas the RJD, which fielded 23 candidates, won only four.

Alam's aggressive stance appears to have irked Tejashwi Yadav's father, Lalu Prasad, the RJD supremo, who had previously supported West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s claim to leadership of the INDIA bloc, a move interpreted in political circles as an attempt to snub the normally submissive ally.

As Alam seemed resolute in his position, Mrityunjay Tiwary, a spokesman for the RJD, responded by saying, "Such statements violate the coalition dharma. The Congress must rein in such loose cannons." Meanwhile, JD(U) MLC Khalid Anwar dismissed Alam’s Muslim outreach, stating, "The community cannot forget that it was under Congress rule that riots took place in Meerut, Bhagalpur, and Jabalpur. Senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad have been forced to quit. The recent assembly bypolls in Bihar showed the Muslim support for NDA led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur Bachol also criticised the Congress’ pitch for a Muslim deputy CM, calling it "yet another example of politics of appeasement." The BJP leader, whose party has successfully wooed Congress' upper caste base, added, "Between 2025 and 2029, there is no vacancy for the posts of CM and deputy CM in Bihar. Nitish Kumar will continue, and our party will decide who shall be his deputies."