The resort politics was playing itself out in Bihar too amid speculation that JD (U) was trying to engineer a split in the Congress before the NDA government faces a floor test in the assembly.
To keep its flock together, the Congress party high command had also shifted its 16 MLAs from Bihar to Hyderabad. From here, they were shifted to Congressruled Telangana.
The newly formed NDA government, headed by chief minister Nitish Kumar, will seek trust vote on February 12, when the assembly`s budget session commences.
Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh and his predecessor Madan Mohan Jha accompanied the party MLAs to Hyderabad. Singh told newspersons, “A new government has been formed. We are here (Hyderabad) to congratulate them. We will meet the CM and congratulate him.”
Cong MLAs To Return On Day Of Floor Test
Sources said that the Congress MLAs are expected to return to Bihar on the day of floor test only. The Congress has 19 MLAs in the Assembly, three of whom did not turn up for a meeting attended by state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh and MLCs Prem Chandra Mishra and Madan Mohan Jha.
"Those who did not turn up in Delhi included Avidur Rehman, the MLA from Araria. However, it is well known that he is busy taking care of his daughter who has been very unwell of late," said a party leader in Bihar, who requested anonymity.
The absentees also included Manohar Prasad Singh, the MLA from Manihari, who is expected to reach Hyderabad by Monday, and Siddharth Saurav, who represents the Bikram Assembly constituency and is known to be at daggers drawn with the state leadership.
Dy CM Samrat Choudhary Hits Out At Congress
Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Samrat Choudhary said that Congress was free to shift its MLAs to Delhi or Hyderabad. He said his party believed that democracy worked with the blessings of the people.
On the other hand, deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha accused the Congress of insulting its MLAs by not trusting them and intimidating them. Congress is treating its MLAs like bonded labourers, he alleged.
