Fringe continues to defy diktat despite stern party warning
New Delhi : Feeling trapped on the sensitive Mandal and beef issues, the BJP top brass has started making concerted efforts for damage control in Bihar. However, elements within the party continue to defy the leadership despite a dressing down and a stern warning that the development agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi must not be derailed. BJP chief Amit Shah, in a defensive mode, reiterated on Monday that the party was ”committed” to reservation. ”I want to clarify that the BJP totally supports reservation. We are committed to it. The central point of Narendra Modi”s development agenda is to take all backward people with us,” said Shah in Patna.
But loudmouth party MP from Unnao Sakshi Maharaj once again grabbed headlines saying if the BJP wasn”t doing well in Bihar it would be a loss for Biharis and not the BJP. Sakshi Maharaj was among the five party leaders who were summoned by Shah on Sunday and warned against issuing any more unnecessary or provocative statements. Another loudmouth MP and well known dissident Shatrughan Sinha also tweeted that he was upset about his party not doing well in the first two phases. After two phases of polling, the BJP is feeling the pinch on Mandal. In a state with nearly 52 percent of OBCs and EBCs, the feedback of the party cadres is clear that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comments about the need to review the Mandal formula created confusion among the voters. Bhagwat”s statement has become a huge weapon for Lalu and Nitish and it is clear that they would not let go of it. The BJP, which had a lot of hope from the second phase, has learnt that a large chunk of the EBC vote which was positively inclined towards the party may have gravitated to the Grand Alliance.
”In some cases, a section of the EBC voters may have been swayed by the caste equations of candidates in some constituencies. In some others, the propaganda by the rival alliance on reservation may also have misled some voters”, agreed a central BJP leader working on the party”s strategy in Bihar.
