PURNEA, Dec. 30 -- Veteran Congress leader and former MLA from Kadwa in Katihar district, Shakeel Ahmad Khan's assessment that the Congress should pursue independent politics in Bihar-alleging that its alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) failed to yield electoral gains-has not gone down well with its alliance partner.

Khan said the Congress was unable to either improve its tally in the Bihar Assembly or expand its organisational base due to the alliance with the RJD. "With the RJD, the Congress party could neither increase its seat count nor broaden its base in Bihar. The party's top leadership must introspect on the alliance," he said, adding that the tie-up had caused confusion among grassroots-level party workers. He reiterat...