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Sonia, Digvijaya clash over Nitish Kumar’s INDIA exit (Img: Dynamite News)
New Delhi: A sharp disagreement over Nitish Kumar’s departure from the INDIA bloc surfaced during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Tuesday, with senior leader Digvijaya Singh arguing that the party should not have allowed the JD(U) chief to leave the Opposition alliance.
Sonia Gandhi, however, took a different view, saying Kumar’s departure was better for the alliance given his political trajectory. The contrasting assessments emerged as the Congress discussed its political strategy and the future course of the INDIA bloc.
According to Congress sources, Singh told the CWC that the political situation could have been different if Kumar had continued to remain part of the Opposition alliance. “We should not have allowed Kumar to leave the INDIA bloc. Had he stayed, the political situation would have been different," Singh said.
Gandhi disagreed with Singh’s assessment and said Kumar had been looking for an opportunity to leave the alliance. “Thank God Nitish Kumar left in time. He was always meant to go there. He was constantly looking for new ways to exit the INDIA bloc," Gandhi said, according to sources.
She also alleged that Kumar was being controlled by the BJP. The exchange took place against the backdrop of the Congress’ continuing confrontation with the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Kumar’s relationship with the Congress and other Opposition parties has changed several times over the past decade.
In 2015, Kumar returned to power in Bihar as part of the Mahagathbandhan with the RJD and Congress. The alliance defeated the BJP-led NDA in the state Assembly election. However, in 2017, Kumar left the alliance and returned to the NDA.
In August 2022, Kumar again broke ties with the BJP and formed a government with the RJD, Congress and Left parties. He became chief minister for the eighth time, with Tejashwi Yadav as his deputy.
His return to the Opposition camp later gave him a prominent role in efforts to bring several Opposition parties together at the national level. Kumar hosted the first major Opposition meeting in Patna in June 2023, where parties discussed the possibility of forming a joint front against the BJP.
He subsequently emerged as one of the possible organisational faces of the alliance. In December 2023, discussions took place among INDIA bloc leaders over appointing Kumar as the alliance’s convenor. While several leaders reportedly backed the idea, some Congress leaders opposed creating a post that could potentially dilute the party’s role within the alliance.
In January 2024, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was chosen as the INDIA bloc’s chairperson, while Kumar’s name was proposed for the convenor’s position. Kumar did not immediately give his consent and sought consultations with other alliance partners.
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The political arrangement in Bihar collapsed within weeks.
On January 28, 2024, Kumar resigned as Bihar chief minister, ending his alliance with the RJD and Congress and returning to the BJP-led NDA. He subsequently took oath as chief minister again with BJP support.
His decision to leave came only months after he had played a key role in bringing Opposition parties together for the formation of the INDIA bloc. That sequence now forms the centre of the disagreement between Singh and Gandhi.
Singh’s argument at the CWC was that the Opposition could have been in a different political position had Kumar been retained. The veteran Congress leader has also suggested that Kumar’s expectations of securing a larger organisational role within the INDIA bloc were among the issues that could have been handled differently.
Gandhi, however, offered a contrasting interpretation of Kumar’s political trajectory. Her assessment was that his departure was ultimately unavoidable and that he had been looking for an opportunity to return to the BJP camp.
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The CWC discussion came a day before the INDIA bloc’s meeting in Delhi, where Opposition parties are expected to discuss their strategy concerning the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.
The Congress has been demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and has accused the poll panel of compromising the electoral process. The Election Commission has rejected the allegations.
The INDIA bloc is also facing differences over participation in the meeting. Some alliance partners, including the DMK, AAP and Akhilesh Yadav, have decided to stay away, while the Samajwadi Party is sending a representative.
