Though the 2014 lok Sabha election is nearly one year away, almost all political parties in Bihar have stepped up their activities to attract 16.5 per cent Muslim voters, considering their huge population in certain districts of the State.
Traditionally, known as a strong support base of the RJD, a good section of Muslims have shifted their loyalty to the NDA in view of some well conceived minority welfare programmes of the State Government and an atmosphere free of any communal tension prevailing in the State during more than seven-year-old NDA regime.
State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is already making conscious efforts to expand his support base among Muslims, visiting their shrines and attending other functions at a regular interval in the recent past.
Nitish Kumar had also made a specific mention about the present State Home Secretary, Amir Subhani who was the first Muslim to top the IAS examination way back in 1987 during a programme at Gopalganj recently.
Chief Minister told Muslim students that Amir Subhani stood first in the examination when the Government was not extending the financial support to the minority in the same quantum as his Government is presently doing and hence they should take advantage of the situation.
Only the time will tell how much JD (U) is benefitted in the lok Sabha election due to the present gestures being shown by Nitish Kumar.
Around 25 per cent Muslims had voted for the NDA during the last Assembly election in 2010 and subsequent by-elections.
The Opposition, however, is not fully convinced with the State Government’s efforts to improve the condition of the minorities as Chief of Bihar Congress Media cell, Prem Chandra Mishra told The Pioneer that Nitish Kumar is trying to secure votes of Muslims by opposing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
He alleged that the Nitish Kumar Government had not spent 75 per cent of funds made available under the UPA Government’s Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP) for the welfare of the minority community.
The MSDP is being implemented in seven minority concentration districts of the State - Purnea, Kishanganj, Katihar, Araria, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and West Champaran.
He claimed that all the non-Congress Governments coming to the power in Bihar during the last 22 years have ignored the plight of Muslims and did nothing more than the lip service.
The Congress has decided to highlight the good work it had done while it was in power in State, particularly its “achievement” in according status of second language to Urdu. The UPA Government’s minority welfare programmes will also be exploited to the full advantage by the Congress in the election.
On the Congress’ allegations on poor implementation of MSDP in the State, Minority Welfare Minister, Shahid Ali Khan told The Pioneer that the State Government has been implementing all the programmes under MSDP with full sincerity.
He said that the state government had kept sending utilisation certificates on a regular basis and countered how the Centre continued to sanction the money when the government had not been submitting certificates on time.
RJD president lalu Prasad Yadav, presently busy with his proposed “Parivartan Rally” in Patna on May 15 is also making all efforts to protect his support base among Muslims.
But he rarely goes beyond attacking Nitish Kumar for his alliance with the BJP in his bid to influence Muslim voters, who have largely adopted a “wait and watch” strategy, listening to everybody with apt attention but keeping their cards close to their chests.
Bihar BJP president Mangal Pandey said that the Minority Cell of his party is chalking out programmes to broaden the party’s base among Muslims.
He said that Muslims have already started voting for the BJP in various States and hence the party is fully confident of their support in the State during the election.
The BJP ruled States have also communal peace and hence Muslims could not be scared on this count too. He said that BJP has not shied away from fielding Muslim candidates in elections in Bihar and examples of Shahnabaz Hussain and Anwarul Haque only corroborates this fact.