New Delhi: Locked in a keen contest with the grand alliance of JDU, RJD and Congress in Bihar, NDA is eyeing at the division in Muslim-Yadav combination besides banking on the development plank of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his “appeal” among the youth.
Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who heads the NDA constituent LJP, is confident that time has now come for a “change” in Bihar politics and is dismissive of the coming together of Nitish Kumar and Arvind Kejriwal for Bihar polls. The Bihar Chief Minister is trying to wash the stain of aligning with RJD chief Lalu Prasad whereas the AAP leader’s appeal among youths does not go beyond Delhi,” he says.
In an interview to PTI, Paswan countered perceptions regarding the perceived low vote base of the BJP-led NDA vis a vis the earlier Muslim-Yadav vote combination of Lalu and Kumar’s reach among Extremely Backward Castes. Though the Union Minister vehemently rejected Opposition charge that AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is entering poll fray in Bihar at the behest of the NDA but maintained that the Hyderabad MP will indeed make a dent in Muslim votes making it tough for the rivals keep Muslim-Yadav combine intact. “Lalu and Nitish have so far only used Muslims in Bihar as vote bank,” he said.
Owaisi has announced his party will contest 25 seats in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) combination is breaking up this time. Yadavs will not vote overwhelmingly for Lalu Prasad. BJP also has Yadav leaders like Ram Kripal Yadav and Nand Kishore Yadav. There are multiple leaders among Yadavs and BJP will get a considerable chunk of that vote. “Nothing has been done for Muslims in last 15 years rule of Lalu and 10 years rule of Kumar. In this backdrop, Owaisi is drawing crowds in Seemanchal region of the state. The crowd in his programmes is an indication that Muslims have got disenchanted with Lalu and Nitish. This helps us.”
When told about the Opposition charge that BJP was propping up Owaisi to divide Muslim votes, Paswan shot back “That is absurd. It is the BJP and the NDA led by it, which is constantly under most intense attack from Owaisi.” Ridiculing the Bihar Chief Minister’s attempt to reach out to migrants from Bihar living in Delhi, Paswan said why will these people, who have to leave Bihar due to “wrong policies of Nitish and Lalu” for 25 years, will support him.
“When those living in Bihar are not voting for their alliance, why would Biharis living here will support them. Tormented by Lalu and Nitish in last 25 years, they have come here. Why would they come here had they got employment in Bihar. This attempt will yield no result for the Bihar Chief Minister,” Paswan said. The LJP chief said that youths of Bihar are looking for employment and Modi has an appeal among the youngsters, which will not be affected by Kejriwal’s campaign.
The ruling alliance at the Centre is hopeful of getting a considerable chunk of EBC votes as backward classes are no more a monolithic block and also the fact that the Prime Minister himself belongs to EBC. “Upper castes do not see eye to eye with Nitish Kumar while the most backward classes do not like Lalu Prasad. Whereis their vote base?” he said when told that the combined vote share of JD-U and RJD could make it difficult for NDA in Bihar. Paswan also countered Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of financial package for Bihar and claimed NDA government will soon be announcing ‘One Rank’ One Pension’ to ex-servicemen as was done in case of special package for the poll-bound state.
Asked about the coming together of Kejriwal and Kumar, Paswan said, “Nitish Kumar has lost confidence and hence calling people from outside. That does not work in Bihar. People in the state will listen to the voice of insiders not outsiders. There will be no impact of this on election results in Bihar. “All this is an attempt by Kumar to wash away the stain that has come to him after allying with Lalu Prasad, who is a convict in fodder scam”.
Another NDA minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had earlier taken a dig at Kejriwal asking him how will the AAP leader justify his backing to Nitish Kumar who is in alliance with Lalu and Congress. Countering Rahul’s attack that the Prime Minister was in the habit of making promises like announcement of a Rs 1.25 lakh crore package for Bihar and saying it would go the OROP way, Paswan said, “Implementing OROP is the commitment of the government.
“It will be resolved once the technical problems are sorted out. As Bihar got the gift of special package, similarly OROP will also be announced soon.” Expressing surprise at the Congress vice-president’s attack on the government on OROP issue, he asked “if it was so easy to implement, why did Congress not implement it.” Rejecting Opposition attack that the package announcement for Bihar was just another promise by Modi, Paswan said, “Prime Minister not just made an announcement of package. It has also been explained how much money will be spent in what heads. Those who have to make allegation will any how make it.”
Rejecting Nitish pitch for a special state status, Paswan said the Bihar Chief Minister is now left with no issue after the Prime Minister’s announcement of the Rs 1.25 lakh crore package and the subsequent decision of the government’s decision to give a 30 per cent income tax rebate to new manufacturing plants and machinery to be set up in 21 ‘backward’ districts of Bihar.
“Nitish Kumar headed the committee that was supposed to submit a report on the special status state for Bihar when he was a Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpyee government. He did not submit the report then in time even as Vajpayee was keen to decide the matter. Kumar should be asked why he did not submit the report then,” said Paswan, who was also a Union Minister in Vajpayee government. The RJD, who is now in alliance with Kumar, had said in past that it was the then Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, who was first to demand special status for Bihar in 2002 but Nitish opposed this demand to deny credit to her.
