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Mahachander Singh after he joined the JD (U), in Patna on Monday. Picture by Deepak Kumar |
Patna, March 14: Congress legislature party leader in the state’s Upper House, Mahachander Singh, today joined the ruling Janata Dal (United), dealing yet another blow to Sonia Gandhi’s party which suffered its worst ever debacle in last year’s Assembly polls.
Mahachander described Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s reluctance to accord special status to Bihar as the reason for quitting the Congress. “I was upset to learn that the Prime Minister has not been giving time to Nitish Kumar on the issue of special status to the state. I have resigned from the Congress and am joining the JD (U) for the cause of the state,” he said.
Mahachander earned a pat from chief minister Nitish Kumar. “We appreciate the cause for which he (Mahachander) has joined us,” Nitish said.
Observers, however, said it was more the consideration of his political future that goaded Mahachander to switch sides.
Two graduate constituencies of the state’s Legislative Council — Saran and Gaya — are going to polls next month. Mahachander represents Saran and is set to join the council poll fray in April.
Congress sources said Mahachander might not have felt it “safe” to contest on the symbol of his parent party, which drew a blank in the entire Saran division in last year’s Assembly elections.
“He has crossed over to the JD (U) with the cold calculation of retaining his council seat. He has indulged in opportunism and political dishonesty of the worst order,” said senior Congress leader Umakant Singh.
Several others in the Congress felt that Mahachander should not have “ditched” the party at this juncture.
Mahachander is hardly known for his loyalty to any particular party. He had left the Congress and contested the 2004 Lok Sabha polls from north Bihar’s Maharajganj seat on a Samajwadi Party ticket. He however, came back to the Congress after losing the polls.