Though deputy chief minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav and urban development minister, Prem Kumar, were present at the foundation laying ceremony of a bridge over river Gandak in Kesaria in East Champaran on the first day on Friday the BJP leaders were more or less conspicuous by their absence in many other programmes of the chief minister.

The presence of all three at the inaugural function is understandable. Modi is the deputy CM, Nand Kishore can not be ignored as the project involved his department and Prem Kumar is the minister in charge, Programme Implementation of East Champaran district.

But apart from that Nitish, more or less, avoided taking the BJP leaders too much along with him.He went to the house of the controversial Janata Dal (United) leader and former MLA, Obaidullah, and took lunch there on the first day of the Yatra on Friday. His wife, Razia Khatoon, is the Janata Dal (United) MLA from Kalyanpur. The party denied ticket to Obaidullah because on March 7, 2005 a television channel throughout the day ran a CD showing him and other politicians in objectionable position in a Delhi hotel.

In Mehsi, where a large number of Muslim families are engaged in making buttons, rings, necklaces, hair-pins etc from snails the chief minister listened to the problems of the manufacturers. The advent of plastic buttons has also come as a big challenge to this industry. As high as 5,000 people are engaged in this business in Mehsi, situated on National Highway-28.

The biggest problem with button manufacturers is that they have been facing acute power shortage. Besides, the labours are prone to various chronic diseases due to pollution. As river Budhi Gandak flows beside, snails are fished out in large amount from there.

Interestingly, Nitish’s cabinet colleague and minister in-charge of East Champaran district, Prem Kumar of the BJP, was not a part of the chief minister’s entourage when he went to the house of Obaidullah to take lunch. He came separately and quietly entered the dining room much after Nitish had begun eating.

Though some political observers are interpreting it as a deliberate strategy to keep the BJP leaders away from the Muslim dominated pockets––East Champaran has a sizeable Muslim population––some others are of the view that Prem Kumar is keeping a low profile in the district for some other reason. As the Gaya Town MLA, he had some days back, supported the demand of Central University of Bihar in Gaya. But since he is minister in charge of East Champaran he had to be in the district during Sewa Yatra. Almost everyday a large number of people are protesting against him and burning his effigies all over the district.

Whatever be Prem’s predicament Nitish did not stop there. On the second day of his Yatra on Saturday he took tea and snacks at the home of yet another controversial Janata Dal (United) Rajya Sabha MP, Sabir Ali at Dumaria in the district. The BJP as well as Janata Dal (United) have always been critical of Sabir Ali till he was in the Lok Janshakti Party. But many BJP leaders are now in private questioning chief minister’s decision to pay visit to the house of such leaders.

Even in the eyes of common Muslims neither Obaidullah nor Sabir Ali is respectable leader. But since Nitish want to build his own constituency among the community and does not want to entirely depend on the BJP he is cultivating his relationship with one and all. The BJP holds all the three Lok Sabha seats in East and West Champaran districts. Besides, it had won quite a large number of Assembly seats. So as a part of long term strategy he is trying to allure Muslims as well as EBC and Dalit votes. But during his second term he is finding a bit difficult to cut much ice.

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