BJP president Amit Shah’s ‘pseudo-nationalist’ outburst that “crackers will be burst in Pakistan if BJP loses in Bihar” was unwarranted and unacceptable. He may have sensed his party’s impending defeat and, therefore, made the appeal.
With the prospect of a debacle in Bihar staring it in the face, the BJP has gone to extraordinary lengths to garner votes in the remaining two phases. The visible edge in the last three phases has given the Janata Dal (United)-led grand alliance a psychological advantage over the BJP-led NDA. As the party is aware that the electoral outcome is bound to have a huge impact on national politics and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s standing, it tries every trick in the book to whip up jingoistic feelings to its advantage.