Patna: Congress national spokesperson Abhay Dubey said here on Monday that the party leadership would take “appropriate action” regarding the abstention of three Bihar MLAs during the recently held Rajya Sabha election in the state, which led to the victory of the fifth NDA candidate Shivesh Ram of the BJP.“The party will take appropriate action in the matter after investigation into the matter is completed,” Dubey said when reporters drew his attention to the incident.Earlier, the three MLAs concerned – Surendra Kushwaha, Manoj Biswas and Manohar Prasad Singh – had already been served show-cause notices by the party’s state chief Rajesh Ram, asking them to explain their position within two days.“The Congress believes in natural justice and accordingly has given the three MLAs an opportunity of hearing. We follow our party’s rules,” Dubey said, adding that the BJP is in the process of replacing CM Nitish Kumar even though the BJP, JD(U) and other NDA partners had sought votes from people on the slogan ‘2025 to 2030, Phir Se Nitish.’Maintaining that the Congress has not been opposed to development, he said the state’s assembly elections were influenced for partisan gains of the NDA, first in the name of special intensive revision (SIR) of electors and then through the distribution of money among women. “We had raised the issues involved during the Assembly elections. Eventually, in the ultimate count, Bihar’s bright future has been stolen by the BJP,” Dubey said.He was here in connection with a review of the ongoing talent hunt programme of the party. Dubey was accompanied by state chief Ram, former state chief Madan Mohan Jha and other functionaries, including Ashish Nath Tiwari and Rajesh Rathore.Dubey said that it had been decided to invite talent hunt-related forms from new aspirants by March 31, and the last phase of the competition, involving old and new applicants, would be held on April 2. The entire process would be completed by April 9.
