While Sonia Gandhi’s decision on Wednesday to remove both AICC in charge of Bihar, Jagdish Tytler, and state Congress president Anil Sharma from their posts was guided by a fresh rise in revolts by a section of the state Congress leaders, the choice of replacements built the ground for major strategic gains to the party in poll-bound Bihar.
With both the ruling JD(U)-BJP and the main Opposition RJD-LJP in Bihar consistently wooing the Muslims and the dalits in the hope of securing electoral victories in multi-cornered contests, the Congress reportedly chose to play the Muslim-dalit card by making Mehboob Ali Kaiser the state president and Mukul Wasnik the AICC in charge for Bihar. Kaiser, a Muslim, and Wasnik, a dalit, are together likely to bring the Congress greater acceptability in Bihar.
Even though the Congress central leadership had been mulling these changes for the past few weeks, effecting them was considered risky just five months before the Bihar Assembly polls. But most Congress leaders in Bihar said the “new combination of Muslim-dalit leaders” would offset the damages caused, especially by the removal of Sharma, who is credited with giving the Congress a bold identity and direction in Bihar.
“Sharma had been superbly focused and charismatic, but his caste — Bhumihar — was of no special service to the Congress in Bihar, mainly because the state presidents of the state’s two ruling parties also happen to be Bhumihars,” said a senior Congress leader.
But the immediate reason for the removal of Mr Sharma and Mr Tytler, despite a recent rapprochement between them, was an unexpected resumption of protests by a section of state Congress leaders against them. About a dozen Congress leaders from Bihar left for Delhi over the past two days to seek the removal of Mr Tytler, who they accused of incompetence, and Mr Sharma, who they believed to be inexperienced and politically too righteous.