"Withdraw support if you have courage": BJP MP dares Congress in Jharkhand

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey dared the Jharkhand Congress to withdraw support from the ruling alliance, alleging financial motives. The challenge comes amid a row over alleged cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls, with INDIA bloc partners offering conflicting claims.

BJP Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey launched a sharp attack on the Congress party amid the ongoing political controversy surrounding the Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand, challenging the party to withdraw its support from the ruling alliance if it had the courage to do so. Escalating his criticism, Dubey alleged that the Congress leadership in the state was driven by financial considerations rather than political principles and also made pointed remarks against the party's state in-charge. "If Congress has some courage, it should withdraw its support... They want money. Our MLAs are saying something else: K. Raju, the Congress in-charge, sold out for money...," Dubey said while speaking to ANI.

The remarks come amid speculation over cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections, political reactions continued on Friday with Congress and CPI(ML) Liberation offering contrasting claims on the conduct of their respective MLAs.

Row Erupts Within INDIA Bloc Over RS Polls

Earlier, Jharkhand Minister and Congress leader Irfan Ansari alleged that alliance partners RJD and CPI(ML) Liberation had "betrayed" the coalition at a crucial stage during the voting process. "We believe RJD and CPI(ML) betrayed us. We fully supported Chief Minister Hemant Soren, yet they deceived us at the crucial moment. The BJP is swallowing regional parties across the country. By stabbing your allies in the back, you are making a grave mistake," he claimed.

However, CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya rejected the allegations and maintained that the party's legislators voted strictly according to the agreed plan within the alliance. "As for speculations over Jharkhand Rajya Sabha voting, we can tell with full responsibility that our two MLAs voted for the Congress candidate as planned. Two of our senior leaders, PBM Haldhar Mahato and CCM Geeta Mandal, duly verified the votes cast by @cpimlliberation," he said.

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) National General Secretary Bhola Yadav also denied any deviation from the alliance line, asserting that all four RJD MLAs voted in favour of the INDIA bloc candidate. Speaking in Ranchi, Yadav said the voting process was conducted strictly under the instructions of party leadership, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav. He further suggested that the Congress leadership should carry out an internal review to identify gaps and resolve organisational issues following the controversy. "Congress should probe what went wrong. I feel that the Congress in charge should self-introspect, and their matters would be resolved," he added.

The remarks come amid political buzz over alleged cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections in Jharkhand, which has triggered speculation within the INDIA bloc regarding coordination among its constituent parties. (ANI)

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