Bihar: Congress refutes JDU's claim of 'split' in party

PATNA: Heads of both the organisation and legislature party of Bihar Congress on Tuesday dismissed speculations regarding split in the Congress legislature party as claimed by the JDU on Monday.

Madan Mohan Jha, President of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, told Free Press Journal, the reports published here were false and being circulated by the ruling party. "All the 19 MLAs are united and they would not desert us", Jha said.

Ajit Kumar Sharma, leader of the Congress legislature party, said "the so-called operation Congress launched by the JDU would fail and none is going to leave the party". He dismissed this a as ridiculous claim made by JDU that signatures of ten Congress MLAs have been obtained and they were obtaining three more names to escape disqualification.

Sanjay Kumar Singh, JDU principal spokesman and MLC on his return from New Delhi today said, "Congress MLAs were in regular touch with him and they would accept the leadership of Nitish Kumar and join JDU".

JDU is claiming those agreeing to defect to the ruling party including three MLAs of minority community.

Prem Chandra Mishra, MLC and senior Congress leader alleged that Building construction minister and former president of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, Ashok Chaudhry is engaged in "dirty" assignment on behalf of the chief minister.

Mishra also said that in the past too, Chaudhury had engineered defections from the Congress and was rewarded with ministerial berth by Nitish.