Congress on confession mode after Bihar debacle

New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Tariq Anwar has accepted that because of the weak show by Congress, the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan failed to form government in Bihar.

The Congress, which managed to win just 19 out of the 70 seats it contested in Bihar, has been the weakest link in the Mahagathbandhan with the lowest strike rate in the alliance.

Anwar said, "We should accept the truth that due to the weak show by the party, the grand alliance could not form the government in Bihar. Congress should introspect what went wrong. Also, the entry of AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) in Bihar is not a good sign."

The same sentiments have been raised by RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari, who feels that more seats were given to the Congress.

CPI-ML (Liberation) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya too said that the Congress should introspect why it lost so many seats.

Some Congress leaders in Bihar are upset with state party in-charge Shakti Singh Gohil and screening committee chairman Avinash Pandey for not listening to the state leaders.

Taking a dig at the central party leadership who were involved in Bihar polls, former state minister Shakiluzaman Ansari said, "They did not listen to the state leaders and kept us in the dark on the tie-up. They even conceded those seats to the RJD, which could have been won by the Congress. Also, our strong candidates were denied ticket.

"Avinash Pandey, the chairman of the screening committee, completely ignored the suggestions put forward by the state leaders."

The Congress mainly won the seats where it was in direct contest with the BJP.

Ansari also claimed that caste equation was ignored during ticket distribution and the Muslims and the OBCs were totally taken for granted and ignored.

He said that though the Congress contested 70 seats, an umbrella alliance with the RLSP, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) could have been stitched to strengthen the grand alliance.

The Congress, which had a chance to stop the BJP in Bihar, lost the opportunity, said Ansari.

He also said that accountability should be fixed and heads should roll as the party has been suffering continuously.