RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari calls out Congress leadership for Bihar debacle
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has blamed the Congress party for the grand alliance's debacle in the Bihar Assembly elections. Senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari said that the Congress put up a half-hearted fight, adding that the grand party contested elections on 70 seats but its collective leadership didn't even hold 70 public meetings.
"Congress became a shackle for Mahagathbandhan. They had fielded 70 candidates but didn't hold even 70 public rallies. Rahul Gandhi came for three days, Priyanka didn't come, those who were unfamiliar with Bihar came here. This is not right," he told news agency ANI on Sunday.
READ MORE: Congress concedes it was 'weak link' in RJD-led grand alliance, calls for introspection
The Congress entered the fray as a constituent of the grand alliance led by the RJD. It is widely blamed for dragging down the coalition. The alliance fell short of majority mark by 12 seats. The RJD fielded candidates on 143 seats out of the 243, and won 75 seats -- maximum by any party. The Left parties won 16 of 29 seats they contested. The Congress won just 19 of the 70 seats it contested.
"I think this is not the case only in Bihar. In other states too Congress lays more emphasis on contesting on the maximum possible number of seats but they fail at winning the maximum possible number of seats. Congress should think about this," he said.
READ MORE: Congress needs new revival plan for elections
"Elections were in full swing here and Rahul Gandhi was having a picnic at Priyanka ji's house in Shimla. Is the party run like that? Allegations can be levelled that the manner in which Congress party is being run, it is benefitting BJP," the RJD spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Tariq Anwar said that there were shortcomings due to which the party failed to perform. He said that a delay in finalising seat-sharing adversely affected the alliance's performance. "The results were definitely below expectations," Anwar said, adding that the party must "learn from it".
