Shakeel Ahmed Khan claims ₹10,000 transfer to women caused INDIA bloc’s defeat in Bihar assembly polls.
Congress criticises Election Commission’s silence and RJD’s role in alliance seat distribution.
Internal dissent emerges over low women representation and delayed strategic decisions.
Senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan on Monday alleged that the Bihar government’s pre-poll transfer of ₹10,000 each to 10 lakh women under a state scheme directly influenced the outcome of the recent assembly elections, calling the payout a decisive factor behind the INDIA bloc’s defeat.
According to PTI, Khan described the transfer as “a bribe” and questioned why the Election Commission took no action despite the model code of conduct already being in force. The BJP-led NDA retained power with 202 of 243 seats, while the INDIA bloc won just 35, including six for the Congress.
“The Election Commission of India must answer why it was silent on the pre-poll distribution of Rs 10,000 each to women by the NDA government. Bribery was the biggest reason behind our defeat,” he said. PTI reported that he accused the poll body of aligning itself with the ruling coalition, adding, “History will remember this. They (NDA parties and the ECI) will have to give an answer to this.”
Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks that the new assembly should prioritise “delivery, and not drama”, Khan questioned the PM’s criticism. “They are in the government, and the onus of delivery is on the NDA. Opposition is not entrusted with delivery,” he told reporters at a Congress review meeting.
The meeting, chaired by Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram, brought together district committee chiefs and heads of various departments. The party’s Bihar in-charge, Krishna Allavaru, also attended.
PTI reported that Khan further alleged the INDIA bloc’s loss had been “engineered” through government machinery. Internal disagreements within the Congress also surfaced. Sarwat Jahan Fatima, who stepped down as president of the party’s women’s wing, said the leadership ignored demands for adequate representation. “Against the proposed 33 per cent quota, only eight per cent of women were given tickets. It was, thus, my moral responsibility to quit,” she said before the meeting. She argued that the outcome would have been different had senior leaders listened to party workers.
Rejecting RJD state president Mangani Lal Mandal’s claim that Congress underperformance weakened the alliance, she said, “He should first focus on his own party. Who is responsible for his party's defeat?” Fatima also questioned why RJD candidates were fielded in constituencies contested by the Congress. “There is no such thing as a friendly fight in elections. A fight is a fight. Gathbandhan (unity) and lathbandhan (rejection) cannot go hand in hand," she said.
Shashi Ranjan, president of the Patna District Congress Committee, echoed the criticism of the RJD. “RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is responsible for the defeat of the alliance. RJD was the major partner in the alliance, and it must take the responsibility,” he said, alleging that delayed seat-sharing decisions by the RJD weakened the campaign and affected results.
(With inputs from PTI)
