|
|
Patna,(BiharTimes): The wordy duel between the two ruling NDA partners––Janata Dal (United) and BJP––has given an opportunity to 16 years old Rashtriya Janata Dal to revive its position. The recent survey conducted by a newsportal, lensonnews.com, suggesting that Nitish Kumar is no match to Narendra Modi and without BJP his popularity is just better than Lalu Yadav has given the RJD a shot in arm.
Keeping the turmoil in NDA in his mind its chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has decided to undertake a state wide tour. He is even prepared to leave the Monsoon Session of Parliament, if it so required. |
As reported earlier too he has concentrated his attention on Mithilanchal from where quite a few youths belonging to Muslim community have been arrested by police of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi. But Lalu is more critical of Nitish’s role while he is yet to come down heavily on the police of those states. The RJD chief has repeatedly been stating that Nitish had hardly done anything to prevent these arrests and that he had only been shedding crocodile’s tears to befool Muslims. Lalu also met the wife and mother of Fasih Mehmood in Patna last month and even rang up Union Home Minister and External Affairs Minister.
He started his campaign from Samastipur on July 7. Earlier, on July 5 at the foundation day function of RJD in Patna, he had similar things to say.
Lalu seems to be regaining his combative touch and is once again trying to connect with the masses. He realizes that dislodging Nitish, in alliance with the BJP, is not so easy. So he is repeatedly stating that the marriage between BJP and JD (U) has collapsed.
Lalu is very well aware of Nitish’s strong and weak point. The recent survey that Nitish would be placed very poorly in Bihar without BJP has only given a boost to his morale. Lalu is going to mass and stating that he mistakes committed in the past would not be repeated.
Lalu always got an overwhelming vote of Muslims during 15 years rule. Even now, baring some community leaders, most Muslims are not antagonistic towards him. They still recall his contributions in maintaining peace and harmony in the state, especially in early 1990s.
A sizeable section of Muslims voted for Nitish in 2010, but that they did more out of compulsion and less because of conviction. As Lalu became marginalized they deemed it fit to vote for the party which is going to come back to power.
True the 16.5 per cent Muslim votes are up for grab. But that is situation with other votes too. Lalu this time is not just appealing to Muslims, Yadavs and Dalits, but is trying his level best to project himself as the leader of all the castes and communities. This is a departure from his earlier stand. Unlike the early Mandal years of 1990s he is not critical of the upper castes, though at times he had been attacking the feudal mind set.
But he is still looking forward for the day when the Janata Dal (United) and BJP marriage really collapses. After all he knows that in June 2010 Nitish had humiliated Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders, yet both the parties successfully fought the Oct-Nov 2010 Assembly election together and won 206 seats in the House of 243.
| 
