Two Jharkhand Congress MLAs revolt against state party chief

“The party has been on the decline ever since Bhagat took over. It is due to his (Bhagat’s) functioning that our tribal vote share has gone down from over 16 per cent to 10 per cent," said Manoj Yadav.

Two of the six Congress MLAs in Jharkhand have accused state party chief Sukhdeo Bhagat of favouritism and bribery. AICC’s Jharkhand in-charge B K Hariprasad will visit Ranchi Friday to take stock of the situation.

Barhi MLA Manoj Yadav and Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari have alleged that Bhagat ignored senior leaders during the constitution of the party’s state executive committee and chose those who were close to him and those who bribed him.

Yadav spoke to mediapersons in Jamshedpur Thursday and called for Bhagat’s removal.

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Speaking to The Indian Express, he said: “The party has been on the decline ever since Bhagat took over. It is due to his (Bhagat’s) functioning that our tribal vote share has gone down from over 16 per cent to 10 per cent.”

Congress insiders, however, said the MLAs’ allegations were aimed at provoking the party into ousting them so that they could join the BJP. “You hold a press conference and then meet the CM the same day and praise him. The indications are clear,” said one of the newly-appointed general secretaries.

Bhagat told The Indian Express: “Every time we attack the government, these people make false allegations and blunt our offensive”. In response, Yadav said: “Whenever we raise genuine issues, those close to Bhagat start saying that we want to join the BJP.”

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