With the BJP facing sustained attack from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief lalu Prasad over the reservation issue, party president Amit Shah on Monday said the BJP was “committed” to the existing quota for the OBCs and SC/STs. “The BJP does not favour any change in the reservation policy, rather it supports the existing quota policy. We are committed to keeping inviolable these Constitutional rights given to Dalits, tribals, backwards and others. The RSS is also in favour of quota system,” he said, claiming that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement was distorted by a section of the media.
Rejecting allegations that his party was doing caste politics, Shah blamed his opponents for indulging in casteism for electoral gains. He said the BJP’s focus is on development of Bihar. The BJP chief said, “In case Mahagathbandhan forms a Government in Bihar, the possibility of which is zero, lalu will be the main power centre and he will remote control the Government.”
Amid some voice of dissent and contradictory statements by BJP leaders on the trend in the first two phases of polling in Bihar, Shah on Monday claimed before the media that the internal assessment of the party had suggested that the BJP and its allies will win 54 to 58 seats out of 81 polled.
Shah, who held meetings with senior leaders and functionaries before resuming his campaign for Bihar Assembly polls denied any change in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign schedule and said the PM would address eight meetings from October 25 to October 27.
The JD(U) leaders made fun of Shah’s claim of victory. Bihar JD(U) president Bashistha Narain Singh and senior Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said that BJP leaders have realised the ground reality after two phases of polling. “We are winning two-third seats in first two phases,” said Singh and added that the BJP will struggle to win even a few seats in the next phases.
“The ground has slipped under their feet,” said Chaudhary, adding the clarification of Shah on reservation was eyewash. “If the RSS was really in favour of reservation, Bhagwat himself should come clean instead of issuing a clarification through a junior functionary,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha tweeted that the BJP could have done better in the two phases of polling. “The issues related to party workers cannot be solved sitting in five-star hotels,” he said. Sinha, the MP from Patna Sahib, is unlikely to campaign for party candidates under his lok Sabha constituency that he retained with record margin last year.