Bihar Congress issues show-cause notices to 29 leaders for anti-party protest

The disciplinary panel of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee has asked 29 party leaders to explain their participation in a protest outside the national headquarters in New Delhi earlier this month, accusing them of anti-party conduct and breach of discipline.

The notices were issued after the leaders joined a demonstration held near the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters on September 8, 2026, where they publicly challenged the Bihar Pradesh Congress leadership. The protest, which took the form of a peaceful sit-in, demanded the removal of Bihar unit in-charge Krishna Allavaru and State president Rajesh Kumar, with the demonstrators holding both responsible for the party's poor electoral showing in the state.

Committee warns of unilateral action

Kapildev Prasad Yadav, Chairman of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Disciplinary Committee, said in the notice that the leaders' involvement in the activity violates party policy, discipline, and directives, and constitutes a serious act of indiscipline. The notice directs all the concerned leaders to submit a written explanation to the Disciplinary Committee of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee within 72 hours of receiving the notice and to state why disciplinary action should not be taken against them.

The committee has clarified that if no explanation is received within the stipulated timeframe, or if the response provided is found to be unsatisfactory, the committee will be free to take unilateral disciplinary action against the concerned leaders in accordance with party rules.

Former legislators among those served notices

Prominent among the 29 leaders who were issued show-cause notices are former MLAs Anil Singh and Poonam Devi, as well as Congress leaders Vidhushekhar Pandey, Bharat Bhushan Dubey, Satyendra Yadav, and Mrityunjay Singh.

Protesters defend their action, question state leadership

Anand Madhab, AICC member, reacted to the show-cause notice by defending the peaceful protest by dedicated Congress members in Delhi, saying it was concluded and in-charge, AICC Headquarters Manish Chatrath, had come and assured all the protesters that their grievances would be heard. "Yet, Krishna Allavaru and Rajesh Ram went ahead and issued notices to 29 leaders. This is a despicable act. We had gone to our own 'home', to our leadership, to present our demands; there was nothing wrong with that," Mr. Madhab, who was also present during Delhi's protest, said.

He questioned where else the protesters should have taken their grievances if they were against the very two leaders now issuing the notices. "If our grievance is against these very two leaders, where else would we go? We would naturally go to the High Command," he said.

Mr. Madhab added, "In reality, these two leaders seem to have taken a contract to finish Bihar Congress and its members, but they forget that dedicated Congress members are not afraid of this". He argued that two things have become clear from the notices: first, that they are afraid; and second, that they have acknowledged that numerous former MLAs, former district presidents, and senior state leaders are against them.

Mr. Madhab also argued that the authority to take action against an AICC member rests with the National President and the National Disciplinary Committee, not the state committee.

Pattern of disciplinary action in Bihar unit

This is not the first time the Bihar Pradesh Congress disciplinary committee has moved against party leaders. Earlier, on November 17, 2025, the disciplinary committee had issued a show-cause notice to 47 leaders for anti-party activities and making statements against the party line during the assembly election. The latest action signals continuing tensions within the state unit over leadership and strategy, with a significant section of senior leaders and former legislators openly challenging the current dispensation's handling of party affairs in Bihar.

Source: The Hindu