Nitish Kumar's aide sceptical of Kanhaiya Kumar's move to join Congress

Ashok Choudhary, who was himself a dynamic president of the state Congress a few years ago, wished the former JNU student leader well

Akey aide of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday cast doubts over Kanhaiya Kumar’s induction into the Congress yielding any benefits to either the young leader or the party. which seems riddled with insurmountable crises.

Ashok Choudhary, who was himself a dynamic president of the state Congress a few years ago before being done in by a factional feud that played itself out on the streets, nonetheless wished the former JNU student leader well.

“Kanhaiya is a young man from Bihar and my best wishes are with him” said Chaudhary, a powerful member of the state cabinet on whom the former JNUSU president had called on here a few months ago intensifying speculations about the ex-student leader’s plans to quit the moribund CPI.

Read | Kanhaiya like another Sidhu who would destroy Congress: RJD

Choudhary, however, wondered “What future can he (Kanhaiya) look forward to in a party in which there is something fundamentally wrong. Look at what is happening in Punjab. They humiliated Capt Amarinder Singh, who has decided to quit. And they seem unable to appease Sidhu on the other hand”.

He also cited recent crossovers by a host of prominent Congress leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasad and pointed to dissatisfaction among the old guard who are being referred to as “G-23” and “frustrated” young faces like Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan.

“So, what benefit a party in such a mess can expect with the induction of one or two people. And what prospects can the new entrants hope for in such a scenario ?”, he asked.

Notably, Choudhary had joined JD(U) in 2018 after having burnt his bridges with the Congress. He had earned plaudits after the 2015 assembly election when the Congress had contested in alliance with JD(U) and RJD and performed well.

He was inducted into the cabinet from the Congress quota but factionalism reared its head no sooner than Nitish Kumar returned to the NDA in July, 2017 citing irreconcilable differences with the RJD.

Choudhary’s detractors accused him of working at the behest of the chief minister to “break” the party which led to his removal from the BPCC chief’s post. Pictures of Choudhary, defending himself before the camera, teary-eyed, had made headlines.

He had alleged that the national general secretary in-charge in those days, C P Joshi, was in cahoots with the BPCC “lobby” which was uneasy over his rise in the party.

Born to late Mahavir Choudhary, a senior Congress leader of his time, Ashok Choudhary, then an MLC, finally made the much-anticipated crossover in March, 2018. He joined JD(U) along with two other party legislators, effecting a split in the Congress in the legislative council.

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