This Article is From Sep 02, 2015

Congress Denies Any Rift Between Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad

Congress Denies Any Rift Between Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad

The Congress has dismissed speculation that Rahul Gandhi will not share dais with RJD chief Lalu Prasad in poll-bound Bihar.

New Delhi: The Congress today dismissed speculation that Rahul Gandhi will not share dais with Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad in poll-bound Bihar, and that the party stands together with their alliance with Mr Prasad and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United.

"This sort of doubts only you have. The meaning of an alliance is to fight unitedly. It is a grand alliance... We will all be together. Congress President has shared (the dais). Question does not arise of the Congress Vice President not doing," said party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi.

Mr Singhvi was replying to a specific question on whether Mr Gandhi will share dais with the RJD chief, who was disqualified from contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha election after his conviction in a fodder scam case in 2013.

Mr Prasad's disqualification was a direct fallout after the 45-year-old Congress leader publicly criticised the previous UPA regime for issuing an ordinance to negate a Supreme Court verdict and save disqualified convicted lawmakers.

Congress, which has been out of power in Bihar for the past 25 years, will fight the upcoming assembly election with RJD and JDU under the leadership of Nitish Kumar as their chief ministerial candidate.

The alliance is pitted against the BJP led National Democratic Alliance, which has Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, Union minister Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha.
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