No time to pay heed to one-year of Nitish government in post-demonetized Bihar
Patna,(BiharTimes): On the eve of the completion of one year of Grand Alliance government the BJP-led NDA on Saturday (November 19) came out with a report card to criticize the Nitish Kumar rule.
As a true opposition it tried to highlight the failure of the government on all counts. For the people of the state it is certainly a time to know the performance of the present government in Bihar and objectively assess them.
But the problem is that the completion of one year has come at a time when the entire media attention––one way or the other––is focused on the huge problem created by the Narendra Modi government’s decision to go for demonetization without any preparation.
Hardly any party criticized the decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes; what they are questioning is the lack of preparedness, which has thrown normal life out of gear.
Though the BJP leaders are putting up a brave face before the media yet in private they are extremely worried. The Bihar BJP––or say NDA bigwigs––are not speaking much on the isswue.
As all eyes are on demonetization even the Nishchay Yatra and Chetna Rallies of chief minister Nitish Kumar got less coverage; so did the Grand Alliance annual report card event on November 20.
But if the Nitish government too failed to get as much coverage it has little to lose as it is firmly in power.
The demonetization has deprived the NDA of an opportunity to expose the shortcomings and failures of the state government, which was formed with the joint effort of JD(U), RJD and Congress 365 days back
The biggest problem with the BJP-led NDA in Bihar is that the last year’s defeat has silenced it. Save former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi no other leader is heard speaking anything substantial on any serious issue.
If the other BJP leaders of the state has become almost irrelevant, Union minister and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan has been rendered speechless. Giriraj Singh is hardly seen in the media with his antics while Upendra Kushwaha is only heard while abusing his own party––RLSP––rebel, Arun Kumar, the Jehanabad MP.
Ram Kripal Yadav did appear during the flood days in Patna while others like Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Radha Mohan Singh etc have their verbal ammunition exhausted.
Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, once known for his bitter criticism of Nitish Kumar––not Lallu Prasad or Congress––has sank into oblivion.
Pappu Yadav, who enjoy special status in the NDA family, is no more issuing threat to doctors.
In fact the RJD vice president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh––though an alliance partner––is more visible in the media criticizing the state government than any of these NDA leader.
It is not that the Grand Alliance did not provide them any opportunity. The likes of Raj Ballabh Yadav, Mohammad Shahabuddin, Gopal Mandal, Sarfraz Alam etc were in the news for all the wrong reasons.
SuMo’s is the lone voice of resistance. It was he who released the report card on Saturday.
But political observers are of the view that sometimes he––may be in a state of frustration––comes out with outlandish statements, which often prove counter-productive.
SuMo’s repeated criticism of prohibition, which otherwise has a huge acceptability in the masses, further spoilt the BJP’s image, though it is also true that the new excise law has several lacunae.
A year later hardly anyone in Bihar is discussing the achievements or failures of Nitish Kumar government. In nooks and corners of the state the only talking point is the enormous hardship caused by the haphazard manner in which demonetization has been undertaken––though there are some who are not finding fault with the decision as such.
