Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Digvijaya Singh reportedly exchanged views over former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to leave the INDIA bloc during a recent Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, according to party sources cited by India Today TV.
The discussion took place as the CWC reviewed the Congress’s political strategy and its campaign against the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
According to the sources, Digvijaya Singh argued that the Congress and its allies should have made greater efforts to retain Nitish Kumar in the opposition alliance. He reportedly said that the political situation could have been different had the JD(U) leader remained with the INDIA bloc.
Sonia Gandhi reportedly took a different view, saying Nitish Kumar had been looking for an opportunity to leave the alliance and that his departure should not have come as a surprise. The remarks were part of an internal exchange, according to the sources.
Nitish Kumar left the opposition alliance in January 2024 and returned to the BJP-led NDA in Bihar. He subsequently formed a government with BJP support and took oath as Chief Minister for the ninth time.
The reported exchange came ahead of an INDIA bloc meeting scheduled to discuss a joint strategy on the SIR exercise and issues related to electoral rolls.
The CWC has also criticised the Election Commission over the revision exercise. The Congress has demanded that the SIR be suspended and has raised concerns over the deletion of names from electoral rolls. The party has also called for action against the Election Commission leadership over what it describes as irregularities in the exercise.
The Congress has said it will continue to raise the issue in Parliament, the courts and through public mobilisation.
The CWC meeting was attended by senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.