New Delhi [India], November 17 : Dismissing claims that Rahul Gandhi's leadership was lacking, Congress leader Rajeev Shukla attributed the party's poor performance in the Bihar Assembly elections to alleged misuse of power and resources by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The Congress leader asserted that "every effort was made to win" the Assembly election, and all the senior leaders went to campaign.
Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Shukla said, "Some people have started blaming Rahul Gandhi. Recently, during the Lok Sabha elections, the performance was so good and the government was almost formed, everyone was praising Rahul Gandhi. He conducted a Voter Adhikar Yatra. He went everywhere. Priyanka Gandhi also went regularly. Kharge ji went to campaign despite his age. Venugopal ji also went there dozens of times. So it's not that there was any lack of effort. Every effort was made."
Hitting out at the Election Commission, Shukla asserted that when money and power are being used, it becomes very difficult to win.
"But where the Election Commission is supporting, and where money is being used and power is being misused, it becomes very difficult (to win), and that is what happened," Shukla said.
Shukla's remark comes at a time when political developments in Bihar are drawing heightened public attention, as the ruling NDA got 202 seats, a three-fourths majority in the 243-member House.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the development in the Rashtriya Janata Dal Party has sent shockwaves through Bihar politics as RJD supremo's daughter Rohini Acharya announced her intention to "quit" politics and "disown" her family, taking all "blame" for the party's poor performance in the polls.
With her "disowning" family, the cracks within Lalu Yadav's family have widened as her brother Tej Pratap Yadav was expelled from both the party and family earlier this year following a controversy over his personal life.
Claiming that the party leadership don't want to take responsibility for the defeat in the Bihar Assembly election, Rohini Acharya said that when she called out Tejashwi Yadav's close aide Sanjay Yadav for the party's defeat, she was "thrown out of the house, disgraced, abused, and even hit."
This development has shaken the Bihar politics, with many speculating about the future of the Lalu family's political dynasty. Rohini's allegations have also raised questions about the internal dynamics of the RJD and the role of family members in the party.