Congress Faces Internal Revolt as Bihar Leaders Plan September 8 Protest at HQ

A large group of Congress leaders has called for “a peaceful dharna and demonstrations outside the Indira Bhavan”. They are demanding the removal of general secretary for Bihar Krishna Allavaru and state party chief Rajesh Kumar.

Congress workers have protested outside 24 Akbar Road and then party chief Sonia Gandhi’s residence at 10 Janpath only once in recent times, in May 2004, when Sonia Gandhi decided not to become the Prime Minister.

The planned demonstrations next month are different in nature. “Congress People from across Bihar will join this protest. We are trying to meet Rahul Gandhi from November 2025 onwards but they are not giving us time. So we have decided to protest outside Indira Bhavan,” said Anand Madhav, a member of the All India Congress Committee, the body that elects the party president.

Madhav said the protesting leaders had already raised their concerns with senior Congress leaders. “We had a meeting with Mallikarjun Kharge ji, KC Venugopal and Ashok Gehlot on November 3, 2025. They have promised to pay heed to our demands — but nothing has happened,” he said.

The leaders joining the protest include Bihar unit’s former vice presidents Jamal Ahmed and Rajkumar Rajan, AICC members Nagendra Paswan, former MLA Chhatrapati Yadav, B Akhtar, former Secretary, BPCC, and former MLA Anil Kumar Singh.

The discontent follows the Congress performance in the 2025 Bihar elections, in which the party won just six seats, down from 19 in the 2020 poll. Allavaru and Kumar faced criticism from the party’s rank and file over the poor performance, while Kumar himself lost his seat.

Senior Congress leader in Bihar Kishore Kumar Jha, an AICC member, supported the protesters and said, “They are dedicated Congress workers. The party High Command must listen to them and address their grievances. However, it would be better if a solution can be found through discussions.”

The September 8 protest places the Bihar unit’s grievances directly before the Congress leadership, with the protesters seeking both access to Rahul Gandhi and accountability over the party’s electoral performance in the state.