The BJP is expected to use Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit in Bihar’s election campaign. The PM too kept this in mind while giving his speech in the US. At the SAP Center in San Jose, he raised the issue of corruption and indirectly attacked the Congress. He also enumerated the achievements of his Government, which was met with loud cheers from the audience. Now, BJP sources are saying that this speech would be used in Bihar elections. last year when the PM was in the US, he had delivered a speech at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The BJP had used that speech in Maharashtra’s election campaign.
This time, the PM got emotional at the Facebook headquarters while talking to Mark Zuckerberg. Modi was describing the early days of his life and recounted how his mother used to clean utensils at other people’s houses. Sources believe this might touch an emotional chord with the poor in Bihar. BJP supporters have also started a campaign on these lines on social media.
A BJP leader said the Congress is worried as it thinks this will spoil the plan of lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar to unite the poor of the State.
CONG TO CONNECT WITH NRIS
It seems that the Congress has learnt something from Modi’s foreign trip. It is being said that now the party will also work with the NRIs. Rahul Gandhi’s US trip was planned keeping this in mind. Sources say the party will try to connect with the NRIs in the US and UK with the help of Rahul and his foreigner friends.
Sources add that Rahul could also visit london. The PM is scheduled to go to london mid-November. But before that Rahul and some other party members could land up there. The Congress wants to establish Rahul as its leader and steal the limelight from Modi.
The Congress can make an issue of the ban on NGOs and can use civil society abroad against Modi. The party was hopeful that the Patels would agitate against Modi in the US, the PM and his team succeeded in motivating them at the right moment. So, the Congress is planning an anti-Modi agitation with the help of civil society, and the agenda will be pro-corporate policies of the Modi Government.
RAllY STRATEGY IN BIHAR
The Congress is apprehensive that the two big parties of the grand alliance in Bihar — JDU and RJD — don’t want Rahul to campaign in the State. The Congress seems to have sensed the uneasiness of lalu and has decided to hold fewer rallies of Rahul. He will be holding only four rallies in October. On the other hand, Congress President Sonia Gandhi will be addressing nine rallies in Bihar. lalu and Nitish don’t have any problem in sharing dais with Sonia, but they are hesitant in doing so with Rahul.
lalu and Nitish were not present at Rahul’s Ramnagar rally. But leaders of the grand alliance are aware of the need of a joint rally and that is why Sonia will address more rallies. There is speculation that lalu and Nitish can take part in at least three or four rallies of Sonia. Rallies have been planned in areas that are strategically important for the grand alliance, and top leaders of all three parties will participate to send out the message of unity.
Rahul will address his rallies alone. The second rung leaders of RJD and JDU may share dais with him. This strategy also suits the Congress as the focus would solely be on Rahul.
DIlEMMA OF CONGRESS
There is a debate within the Congress on secularism vs soft Hinduism. The party has been trying to change the image of Rahul right after the lok Sabha Elections. Under this strategy, Rahul went to Kedarnath and Banke Bihari temple before the chintan shivir in Mathura. A photograph of Rahul with a tilak on his forehead was in news. However, the strategy of the Congress is not limited to this. Probably some party leaders have recommended following the line of soft Hinduism. They argue that if the Congress continues to stress on secularism, Hindu votes will polarise in favour of Modi and the BJP. Congress leaders are apprehensive that the BJP is trying to keep maximum Hindu votes with the help of trivial issues.
But the problem is that the Congress policy of soft Hinduism has never succeeded. In 1989, Rajiv Gandhi had tried when he had either talked about Ram Rajya or had opened the locks of Ayodhya, but didn’t succeed.
Digvijaya Singh, who was once the greatest advocate of secularism, now talks about soft Hinduism. In 2002 Gujarat elections, he wanted the Congress to toe the soft Hinduism line. Even in 2003, during MP Assembly Elections, his emphasis was on soft Hinduism. But he failed both times.
Congress leaders feel that the policy of soft Hinduism sends a wrong message to minority voters. Mulayam Singh Yadav had done the same experiment in 2009 lok Sabha Elections. Barring Muslims and Yadavs, he had taken the OBCs along with him. With this motive, he had brought in Kalyan Singh, but the strategy failed badly and he had to return to his original track.
POlITICS OVER FIlES
It might be political compulsions of the party, but it is true that a process to make historical documents public has started. Recently, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee made 64 files related to Subhas Chandra Bose public. Mamata hopes to reap great political benefit after this step. She is also putting pressure on the Central Government to make files of Bose public. And if the Centre doesn’t do this, it has to give an answer in the West Bengal elections.
Mamata has also made public the details of 401 Cabinet meetings of Bengal Government held between 1938 and 1947. Now, the people know what the Government was thinking at the time of great turmoil and this will have serious connotations. At the same time, this step will exert pressure on the Centre to make the files related to India’s freedom public.
Meanwhile, family members of lal Bahadur Shastri still smell a conspiracy behind his death, and want related documents to be made public. Shastri died in Tashkent in 1996.
Two great stalwarts of the Jan Sangh, Syama Prasad Mukherjee and Deendayal Upadhyaya, were found dead under mysterious circumstances. Many times, demands have been raised to make those facts public. So, there is bound to be political use of many emotional issues.
BJP hurdles IN BIHAR
The BJP National President, Amit Shah, is in Patna to meet party officials and workers from all districts. Amid the election campaign, his greatest worry is persuading unhappy MlAs and MPs. Sources say that many MPs and MlAs are working to ensure the defeat of the candidates from their own party.
RK Singh’s discontentment can spell trouble for the BJP in the Shahabad area. In this area, Rajput voters are in good number. If he doesn’t become active, then the BJP will land in great trouble. The sitting MlA of Raghunathpur in Siwan district, Vikram Kunwar, is also supporting him. Not only this, Rajput voters are angry with the CBI action on Virbhadra Singh on the day of his daughter’s wedding.
Patna Sahib MP Shatrughan Sinha is also miffed. Not only this, the BJP has made Sanjeev Chaurasia its candidate from Digha. From the same seat, JDU has given ticket to Rajeev Ranjan Prasad. There are around 60,000 Kayastha voters, and if Shatrughan continues to be unhappy, the BJP will have to struggle. In the same way, MP from Sasaram, Chhedi Paswan, and MP from Begusarai, Bhola Singh, are not happy. Their unhappiness can brew trouble for the BJP on many seats.
FIGHTING OVER TICKETS
Fight for tickets is not limited to only the BJP and its partners, the grand alliance of Bihar is facing the same situation. There is a big queue of leaders who want to quit RJD and JDU. Health Minister of Nitish Government, Ramdhani Singh, has left the party and joined Samajwadi Party. Mulayam has given him a ticket from Karahgar seat. But Pappu Yadav’s party, which is a part of the alliance, has opposed this move.
Senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was so angry that he was nowhere to be seen for several days. lalu had to work hard to placate him and get him back. He was angry because not a single seat in his district was given as per his wish. Either his party didn’t claim the seat or if claimed, Raghuvansh’s wish was ignored.
Things are not right even in the Congress. Former Speaker of lok Sabha, Meira Kumar, is said to have complained to Sonia that her choices were ignored in her area. Party MP Mohammad Asrarul Haque is also said to be unhappy. General Secretary Shakeel Ahmad is the only leader who succeeded in getting two tickets for his supporter. Some leaders are planning to complain to Rahul when he returns.