Prakash Utsav: Are critics reading too much into political angle?
Patna,(BiharTimes): Sikhs in Bihar are not a significant votebank yet too much political meaning is being attached to the Prakash Utsav. From prime minister Narendra Modi to Punjab and Delhi chief ministers Prakash Singh Badal and Arvind Kejriwal, top Akali Dal and BJP leaders, former PM Manmohan Singh and ex-Punjab CM Captain Amrinder Singh are some of them who visited the place.
The purpose of these visits is purely religious, especially for the Sikhs. But as politicians can not survive without making political capital out of it stories started appearing in the media that all these are being done keeping in mind the Punjab Assembly election.
Many independent observers are seeing political meaning to the pilgrimage to Patna Saheb and even good arrangements being made by the Nitish Kumar government and equating them to the Narendra Modi government’s cleaver move to pre-pne the date of budget to February 1 instead of February 28 to mae some announcements before the election in five states, most significantly UP and Punjab.
It is critics’ business to look at the things in different angles. Had these leaders not visited Patna Saheb on this occasion and had the Nitish Kumar government made shoddy preparations they would have criticized them for ignoring such an occasion and for letting down Bihar.
No doubt Nitish Kumar is master in image making and marketing of his achievements. But if good image is being created about Bihar outside what is wrong in it?
Yes, the critics, especially in the media, can say that not only Patna, but the entire state, should be taken care of by the government throughout the year.
At the same time a question could be put before the mediapersons: as to why not are they giving proportionately the same amount of coverage to Kalchakra Puja at Bodh Gaya, which too is attracting almost equal number of pilgrims––domestic and international. Hardly anything is coming in the media whether the arrangement being made there is good or bad when the dignitaries include Dalai Lama. True, it is an annual event yet Kalchakra Puja is also an occasion to market the image of Bihar.
Buddhists like Sikhs too are not votebank in the state. But there is a difference: Sikhs, at least are a constituency to be taken care of poll bound Punjab; Buddhists not.
The problem lies somewhere else too. “As most devotees––when asked by the journalists to comment on the arrangements––end up showering praise on the state’s Grand Alliance government it was bound to cause heart-burn within the rank and file of the BJP,” said a Janata Dal (United) leader.
First the chef secretary Anjani Kumar Singh told a section of media late last month that not a single penny has come from the Centre. This was followed by statements from JD(U) spokespersons on the same line.
Only a couple of BJP leaders responded and that too meekly. Only former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi came out with some figures to defend the Centre. He also said that tourism and railway ministries had undertaken some work in Patna Saheb. He made special emphasis on the renovation of Patna Saheb railway station and construction of the road overbridge. The truth is that the construction of road overbridge is a part of regular exercise too.
Anyway Bihar’s Grand Alliance government is not the only one to market such events. At least JD(U) can not be blamed for making political capital out of it as Sikhs have very small population. Besides, Nitish’s party has no big stake in Punjab.
UP CM Akhilesh Singh and concerned minister Azam Khan had taken credit for good arrangement made in Kumbh Mela.
