Bihar Congress Cracks Down On 29 Rebels, Issues Notices Over ‘Party Policy’ Violation

The Bihar Congress has stepped up disciplinary action against dissent within the party, issuing show-cause notices to 29 leaders for allegedly participating in a September 8 protest against the state leadership outside the AICC office in New Delhi.

The action comes amid growing differences within the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee following the party’s poor performance in the 2025 Assembly elections.

The notices, issued by disciplinary committee chairman Kapildev Prasad Yadav, accuse the leaders of engaging in “anti-party activities” and violating party discipline. The committee said their participation in the Delhi protest was against the party’s policies, directions and disciplinary norms.

The 29 leaders have been given 72 hours from the receipt of the notices to submit their written responses and explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against them. The committee has warned that it may proceed with unilateral action if the replies are not received within the deadline or are deemed unsatisfactory.

Those served notices include former MLAs Anil Singh and Poonam Devi, former Siwan district Congress president Vidhushekhar Pandey, former West Champaran district president Bharat Bhushan Dubey, former Madhepura district president Satyendra Yadav and former Aurangabad district president Mrityunjay Singh.

Dissidents Target Bihar Congress Leadership

The latest action follows a protest in Delhi by disgruntled Congress leaders and workers demanding changes in the Bihar unit. The dissidents have sought the removal of Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram and AICC in-charge for Bihar Krishna Allavaru, while also alleging irregularities and corruption in the functioning of the party organisation.

The dispute is not new. Several of the leaders involved had earlier raised similar complaints against the state leadership. Nine leaders were expelled from the Congress for six years on February 18, a decision they subsequently challenged.

The expelled leaders argued that the Bihar Congress unit did not have the authority to take such action without approval from the AICC disciplinary committee. They also demanded the withdrawal of notices issued to 47 party leaders and accused the state unit of exceeding its organisational powers.

Leaders Claim Grievances Were Ignored

The dissidents have alleged that they attempted to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to present their grievances but were unable to secure appointments.

They also claimed that some of them met Kharge, K C Venugopal and Ashok Gehlot at a hotel in Patna on November 3 last year. According to the leaders, they were told that their concerns would be addressed after the Bihar Assembly elections.

The state Congress leadership has rejected the allegations and maintained that the party’s focus is on strengthening the organisation in Bihar.

The Bihar unit has also said that leaders behind the Delhi protest had already faced disciplinary action and that senior leaders in Delhi had advised the expelled members to raise their concerns with the Bihar Congress president. According to the state leadership, the leaders declined to do so.

The fresh notices have added another layer to the confrontation, signalling that the dispute between the Bihar Congress leadership and its dissident faction remains unresolved.