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Bihar is now bringing the best (and worst) out of Modi

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Kumar Shakti Shekhar
Kumar Shakti ShekharOct 26, 2015 | 20:15

Bihar is now bringing the best (and worst) out of Modi

The BJP has been on the defensive ever since its parent organisation RSS' chief Mohan Bhagwat advocated a review of the reservation policy on September 20. While it was still trying to douse the fire, to which rivals Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar were adding more fuel everyday, Dadri lynching took place, followed by some controversial remarks by Union ministers and other party functionaries. As if these were not enough, Union minister of state for external affairs Gen VK Singh's statement in relation to the killing of two Dalit children in Haryana were politicised by the Grand Alliance, much to the chagrin of the BJP, which is fighting a battle of prestige in the state.

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Call it an act of desperation or playing the trump card, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unleashed his master strategy in the last couple of days which may prove to be decisive in the remaining three phases of polls. While seeking to wean back constituents which might have abandoned BJP bandwagon in the last few weeks, the PM has also attempted to consolidate voters of different sections of the society, and this is how:

1. OBCs, EBCs and Dalits

In the wake of the RSS chief's comments, Lalu and Nitish went tom-tomming around the state in a bid to label the BJP anti-reservation and, thus, being against the beneficiaries - OBCs, EBCs, SCs and STs. The BJP leaders and even the RSS were trying their best to minimise the damage. While OBCs and EBCs constitute 51 per cent of the total population of Bihar, Dalits and Mahadalits (SCs) are 16 per cent and STs are 1.3 per cent of the population in the state. The BJP had been assiduously trying to win a large chunk of their votes by aligning with Union minister of state for human resource development Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), Union consumer affairs minister Ramvilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).

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Modi chose a strategic time to turn the tables on the Grand Alliance - on October 26, the last day of campaigning for the third phase of polls. In an emphatic speech, he said Constitution does not allow reservation on the basis of religion and law bars more than 50 per cent of quota. Alluding to Congress' attempts to give 5 per cent reservation to Muslims in the past and which were struck down by courts, Modi sought to put the Grand Alliance in the dock saying it was conspiring to take away 5 per cent of the quota from Dalits, Mahadalits, OBCs and EBCs and give it away to another community. Terming it "paap ki yojna" (conspiracy of sin), the PM promised that the Centre will not allow anyone to take away their reservation and give it to another community. Modi called himself an EBC and pledged to defend the rights of the people from the reserved categories with his life".

The PM has aimed to kill two birds with one stone - he has not only attempted at defusing the crisis being faced by the NDA after Bhagwat's comments but also has tried to polarise the Hindu votes by playing the minority card. While Lalu and Nitish are playing the OBC card, Modi has sought to create a bloc and get their support. The last phase of elections in the Seemanchal region on November 5 is crucial as Muslim votes play a decisive role.

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The PM further sought to woo the Dalits and offset any damage done by Gen VK Singh's comments. In the 13th edition of his monthly radio programme "Mann ki Baat" on October 25, he revealed his plans to visit London next month to inaugurate Ambedkar Bhavan, the house in which the architect of Constitution had stayed. The Indian government has bought the house.

2. Women

By his several schemes for girl students and women, the Bihar chief minister is apparently popular among them. However, Modi has clearly sought to wean away the women voters from Nitish. In the "Mann ki Baat" itself, the PM announced gold monetisation scheme (GMS) to benefit households in earning money by keeping the idle-lying gold in bank deposit for interest. Gold being the dearest metal of the women, this has generated a keen interest among them. The moment Modi made the announcement, my mother and wife were filled with joy - saying far from paying money to banks for keeping their golden jewelleries in lockers, they will earn interest from them now. Modi will earn praise from lakhs of women voters in Bihar who either keep gold in house under lock and key, though reluctantly and remain under constant fear, or deposit it in the bank locker at a huge cost.

In his election speech in Buxar on October 26, Modi raked up the Women's Reservation Bill, which was stalled by likes of Lalu and JD(U) in the Lok Sabha, and alleged that the Grand Alliance was anti-women.

Differently-abled Geeta's arrival from Pakistan after 15 long years will give a boost to the pro-women image of the NDA government. She, so far believed to be from Saharsa in Bihar, could be brought back due to the efforts of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and her ministry.

3. Unemployed youth

In his Mann ki Baat address, the PM also announced that interviews for Group D,C and B non-gazetted posts in the central government will be done away with from January 1, 2016. A large number of unemployed youths in Bihar appear for competitive examinations for jobs in the central government. There are reports of nepotism and corruption in the interviews even though they clear the written examinations. Scrapping the interviews will surely be the greatest relief for them. Their belief in the fairness of exams will become stronger and hopes of getting a job will get brighter. Modi has surely won the hearts of a large number of youth in Bihar.

Modi, in his Mann ki Baat and election speeches on October 25 and 26, has reiterated his resolve for "Vikas, vikas and vikas" (development, and only development) and has pledged to make Bihar a modern state. He has lashed out at Lalu and Nitish not only for their regressive casteist politics but also for their association with black magic and black magicians respectively. Will Lalu-Nitish voters still fall for Grand Alliance or repose trust in Modi's brand of politics?

Last updated: October 26, 2015 | 21:09
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