Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi will be present at its working committee meeting here on September 24, AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru said on Monday.
During a press conference here, Allavaru asserted that Congress was fighting "the second war of Independence" in Bihar, a reason why the meeting has been scheduled in the state.
Assembly polls are due in Bihar this year.
"At the CWC (Congress Working Committee) meeting, we will be having AICC president Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. All other CWC members have also been invited. Chief ministers of Congress-ruled states are also expected," Allavaru said.
The Congress leader alleged that the ruling BJP at the Centre was involved in "vote theft", and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "like a student who does not study hard, but takes recourse to unfair means for doing well in examinations".
Asserting that Bihar, where Gandhi recently took out an over 1,300-km Voter Adhikar Yatra, had become "the centre of national politics", Allavaru said, "We are fighting the second war of Independence in the state, a reason why the CWC meeting is being held here." In reply to another query, he said talks on seat-sharing are being held on a positive note in the INDIA bloc.
“We will soon come out with a viable formula. On the other hand, we find the BJP-led NDA in disarray," the Congress leader said.
Asked whether RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav will be named as the chief ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc with a stamp of approval from the Congress, Allavaru said, "At an appropriate time, all alliance partners will sit together and decide".
Speaking at the same press conference, state Congress president Rajesh Kumar said, "It is a historic moment for us that Sadaqat Ashram, where people like Mahatma Gandhi, Rajendra Prasad and Jawaharlal Nehru have held deliberations, is getting a chance to host the CWC meeting." Kumar also touched upon the historical importance of Sadaqat Ashram, "constructed on 20 acres of land" donated by renowned freedom fighter Maulana Mazahrul Haq.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Chirag Paswan insisted that the decision to hold the CWC meeting in Patna was "pressure politics" on the part of Congress, which was locked in a "battle for supremacy" with RJD.
The Hajipur MP frowned upon parallels being drawn with the CWC meeting held in Telangana two years ago and the Congress winning the assembly polls a year later.
"In Telangana, at least, they were the principal opposition party. What do they stand to gain in Bihar? They may hold any number of meetings here without making any impact," said Paswan.
"However, I would like to add that the Congress is the oldest party in the country. It should show the courage to go it alone in the upcoming polls. It has nothing to lose in Bihar. Even we had dared to contest the 2020 elections without being part of any coalition," he added.
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