The BJP has set Mission 185 for Bihar. The party leadership has directed State leaders and cadre to win over 185 seats in the Assembly election to be held by October on its own. The Bihar Assembly has strength of 243. The BJP has electoral alliance with lok Janshakti Party (lJP) and Rashtriya loktantrik Samajwadi Party. The leaders of the alliance feel that this would be a ‘cakewalk’ for them.
“We will achieve Mission-185 without a hitch and for BJP it will be a cakewalk,” claimed national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain on Tuesday while talking to the media at party office here. “What has made our task easier is the unity between lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. Had they contested separately it could have been a challenge for us,” he said lampooning the two regional leaders, ‘Doobte ko tinke ka sahara, Nitish ko lalten ka sahara.’
lJP president and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said even though the BJP has set a target of 185 seats the NDA will win no less than 190 seats.
The BJP is in a combative mood and leaving no opportunity to hit hard at the JD(U) Government and merger of JD(U) and RJD which is on cards. Party president Amit Shah is arriving here on January 23 for two days and Hussain said he will address a public rally at Gandhi Maidan on April 14.
However, the party is faced with a peculiar situation as the Government is refusing to allot him a place for holding the January 23 meeting. Earlier, the BJP had applied for Miller High School ground which is opposite the BJP office which was denied on the pretext that the ground had been allotted to the labour resources department for a job fair. later, the party wanted Veterinary College ground which too has been turned down.
An upset State BJP president Mangal Pandey threatened to hold the January 23 meeting on Beerchand Patel Marg. He said the State Government has come out openly in a confrontation with the BJP and trying that Shah should not address a public meeting here.
The threat worked as the Patna DM rushed officials to the BJP office to find out a solution. The officials said they would talk to the authorities of the Veterinary College for allowing its ground for BJP meeting. “The State Government is scared of us. If it does not allot us place for the meeting, the people will pull the ground from under its feet,” said Hussain. Making fun of the proposed merger of JD(U) and RJD he said, “When Sushasan Babu (Nitish) and symbol of jungle raj (lalu) will unite, it will work as petrol and fire and this contradictory alliance is going to be a big strength for us.”
Hussain was, however, evasive on the controversial statements of BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj who advised Hindu parents to produce four children each. “Party has issued showcause notice to him,” he said and added that it is up to the parents to decide how many children they produce but should keep in mind the policy of population control.