A campaign marred by personalised attacks, high drama, wit and bitterness turned more exciting on Saturday after a video showing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with a tantrik went viral on social media a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi resumes his high-octane campaign. Modi will address 17 rallies beginning on Sunday.
While the video brought embarrassment to the Janata Dal (United) chieftain and gave his opponents a chance to lampoon him, Nitish made some political gains during the day by poaching former Union Minister and Kuswaha leader Nagmani from the fast disintegrating Third Front.
The day also saw BJP president Amit Shah dashing Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Jitanram Manjhi’s daydream of regaining the chair of Chief Minister. Shah made it clear the BJP has given no such hint to Manjhi. “Manjhi has the right to speak on behalf of his party. As far as the BJP is concerned, we have not given any such indication nor have we decided on a name,” he told a TV channel.
He was replying to a question on Manjhi claiming that Narendra Modi had in public indicated him as a possible Chief Minister.
The highlight of the day was BJP leader and Union Minister releasing the video showing Nitish Kumar seeking the blessing of a tantrik, ostensibly for victory in the ongoing Assembly polls.
The video whose sound is blurred shows Nitish Kumar sitting on a charpoy with the tantrik (faith healer) in the presence of Neeraj Kumar, JD(U) candidate from Mokama. Though most of the conversation between Kumar and the tantrik is not audible, at some place the tantrik is heard asking Nitish Kumar why he joined hands with RJD supremo lalu Prasad and the tantrik uttering “Nitish Zindabad, lalu Murdabad.”
The tantrik is seen blessing Kumar and hugging him. The BJP was quick to target both Nitish Kumar and lalu Prasad. Giriraj Singh alleged that Kumar met the tantrik “to get rid” of lalu Prasad. “lalu Prasad had recently, while attacking the Prime Minister, said he knows the formula to ward off evil forces. But before he could do so his younger brother (Nitish Kumar) reached a tantrik to get rid of him,” Giriraj Singh told reporters.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who has been for decades involved in supervising BJP campaign in Bihar, visited Patna on Saturday and tried to dispel the impression that BJP was fighting a losing battle in the State. Jaitley said the BJP was set to capture power with impressive margins.
Countering criticism of the BJP by rival parties in Bihar polls over rising prices of pulses, Jaitley said the Centre is taking steps to quell the crisis through imports and asked the JD(U)-led State Government to act against hoarders to provide succour to the people.
“The production of pulses declined, nationally and globally. Pulses production declined by 5 million tonnes this year in the country, which was further aggravated by hoarding.
“The Central Government is taking steps to contain the prices and that includes importing pulses,” Jaitley told reporters in Patna.
Announcing that 12 State Governments had acted against hoarders and recovered 50,000 tonnes of pulses stocked illegally, he said that Bihar would “benefit” if action was taken against hoarders in the State. “If the Bihar Government acts against hoarders, people of the State would be benefited,” he said.
Asked about the video, Union Minister Arun Jaitley said, “when the situation is bad, even ‘tantra-mantra’ does not help”. On why the BJP was targeting Kumar when the saffron party leaders are often seen with ‘babas’, Jaitley retorted, “Yes they are, but not to plot against their own associates”, a veiled reference to Nitish-lalu rivalry.
When a question was asked to RJD president lalu Prasad about Kumar meeting the tantrik who said “lalu murdabad”, Prasad said he was not aware of the video. He, however, quipped, “I am a bigger tantrik than these tantriks.”
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said since voters have rejected Nitish Kumar and his grand secular alliance in the first two rounds of voting, Kumar is now making rounds of tantriks and faith healers to invoke divine blessings in the elections.
Meanwhile, days after the NCP abandoned the Third Front, Samras Samaj Party (SSP) of former Union Minister Nagmani quit the grouping and announced its support for the grand secular alliance in the remaining phases of the Assembly polls.
Stating that the Third Front has been a non-starter in Bihar, Nagmani said, “Our party decided to quit the Third Front as we felt that it is out on zero after the second phase of polling. And both Mulayam Singh Yadav’s SP and Pappu Yadav’s Jan Adhikar Party are working as BJP’s agent.”
The SSP was one of the six parties which had joined hands to form the Third Front in Bihar elections. The NCP had bid goodbye to the Third Front on October 15, a day before the second phase polling, citing “pro-BJP statements” by Mulayam Singh Yadav.
While Nitish remained silent on the video controversy, he questioned the “silence” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over burning to death of two Dalit children in Haryana. “Over 100 hours & Modiji hasn’t uttered a word on Dalit killings in Haryana - yet him invoking Gandhiji’s ideals is nothing but preposterous,” Kumar said in a tweet message.
He referred to the Faridabad incident during his election rallies in the day at lalganj in Vaishali and other places. At lalganj, Kumar said, “BJP leaders talk of jungle raj in Bihar. Is the Haryana incident an example of Mangal rajIJ”
At the same election meeting in Vaishali district, Kumar also raised the controversial “dog” remark against Dalits by Union Minister VK Singh to highlight the “insensitivity” of NDA Ministers.
BIHAR DRAMA