Patna,(BiharTimes): Though the Janata Dal (United) leaders are claiming that by sending Ramnath Thakur, Kahkashan Parween and Harivansh the party is trying to further expand and consolidate its support base political observers are questioning its very wisdom.
They are of the view that the three nominated candidates might have other qualities, but lack mass appeal to help the party in the long run.
For example, Ramnath Thakur lost the 2010 Assembly election from his home turf, Samastipur, to Akhtar-ul-Islam Shaheen, a young RJD candidate almost half of his age. Though Ramnath comes from an Extreme Backward Caste and is the son of none else but Karpoori Thakur, he lost when the NDA wave was sweeping Bihar. He himself was a senior minister yet was defeated by a political greenhorn. Incidentally, Samastipur did not have strong Muslim presence too as in Seemanchal, yet Shaheen won and Ramnath lost.
Analysts are now questioning as to how can a man who can not win from his Assembly constituency help Nitish Kumar retain or win back the EBC votes, which are now drifting towards the post-NDA split BJP and even RJD?
Similarly, Kahkashan Parween is no big leader outside Bhagalpur, where she was once elected as a Mayor. True she is the chairperson of the State’s Women Commission, yet she is no match to several other Muslim leaders who were expecting Rajya Sabha nomination.
If Ghulam Rasool Baliyavi is angry he at least has a point: after all he is a better known face than Kahkashan Parween. She was so little known in the party rank and file that even the JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav fumbled while announcing her name in a function on Friday. As if that was not enough, he then went on to ask whether she is present in the function or not.
But then Kahkashan is a Muslim woman whose name is not tagged to her husband––or even father––as in the case of Parveen Amanullah, minister in the Nitish cabinet.
But to say that her nomination would increase the goodwill for Janata Dal (United) among the Muslims is questionable?
Though Harivansh is a Rajput, his caste did not play any role in his nomination. As he had been serving loyally through his newspaper Nitish Kumar rewarded him with Rajya Sabha berth.
So far so good.
What upsets the political observers is the way Nitish Kumar said in the speech he made on Friday just before the disclosure of names. He teasingly referred to Shivanand Tiwary’s speech at Chintan Shivir in Rajgir by stating that party “ki halat kharb hai to ladiye” (If the condition of party is bad than fight).
By stating so Nitish is deliberately asking the three dropped RS MPs to contest from Lok Sabha. But the way he is saying so suggest that he is punishing them for saying so. Can a chief minister publicly say so about three out of his 40 party candidates? It seems that he is sacrificing the three by asking them to fight the Lok Sabha election and that the JD(U) is not much interested in their victory.
Observers are of the view that what would be the party’s or Nitish Kumar’s stand if Shivanand, N K Singh and Sabir Ali accepts the offer to contest Lok Sabha election from Buxar, Banka and Seohar. Will Nitish ensure their victory or work for their defeat or would finally deny ticket to them at the final moment. If so he would be the loser as he, and no other leader, has made the whole issue public. “It seems that he is playing his cards too fast and getting confused,” said a commentator.