Patna, March 25 (IANS) Congress MLA Manohar Prasad Singh has submitted his reply to the party’s disciplinary committee chairman, Kapildev Prasad Yadav, after being served a notice for remaining absent during voting in the 2026 Rajya Sabha elections held in the Bihar Assembly.

In his written response, Singh, an MLA from the Manihari Assembly constituency, raised serious objections over the alleged involvement of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in support of the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) candidate.

He claimed that AIMIM is widely perceived as the “B-team” of the Bharatiya Janata Party and termed it a communal party, arguing that any understanding with such a party contradicts the Congress party’s ideological principles.

Singh further stated that the Grand Alliance did not have the required magic number of 41 votes in the Assembly to ensure victory in the Rajya Sabha elections.

Given this numerical disadvantage, he said he chose not to participate in the voting process.

In a strongly worded remark, he argued that for a national party like the Indian National Congress, aligning — directly or indirectly — with a party it had previously criticised would be politically and ethically indefensible.

He likened such a move to knowingly swallowing a live fly, calling it harmful to the party’s principles, dignity, and political credibility.

He also claimed that he had no prior information regarding the selection of the Grand Alliance candidate, further distancing himself from the decision-making process.

Referring to past political developments, Singh pointed out that before the Bihar Assembly elections, AIMIM had sought entry into the Grand Alliance but was denied, with leaders branding it as aligned with the BJP.

He suggested that any subsequent reliance on AIMIM’s support raised questions about political consistency and ethics.

Defending his stance, Singh asserted that even if he and the three other absent MLAs had participated in the voting, the defeat of the Grand Alliance candidate would have been inevitable.

The controversy has added to the ongoing internal tensions within the opposition alliance in Bihar following its setback in the Rajya Sabha elections.

–IANS

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