24/05/2017

BJP’s move to divide Grand Alliance suffers setback after twitter war





Patna,(BiharTimes): The May 22 twitter war between two BJP leaders––Shatrughan Sinha and Sushil Kumar Modi––on the issue of charges levelled against Lalu Prasad and his family members has certainly affected the saffron party’s bid to drive a wedge between two major Grand Alliance partner––Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Ever since the November 8, 2015 defeat the in Bihar the BJP has been trying its level best to create confusion in the Grand Alliance rank.

But there is a strategy in it. Most of Its leaders would target Lalu Prasad but would be a bit soft on Nitish Kumar.

In return both Lalu and Nitish would often lash out at the BJP. The Bihar chief minister would not stop here. He would often go out of the state to campaign against Narendra Modi government.

But on a couple of occasions, for example, on demonetisation, Nitish took a different line from RJD. In fact his stand was even against his own party’s former president Sharad Yadav, who throughout the Parliament session opposed it.

Many BJP leaders and media pundits see a great meaning in Nitish’s stand on note-ban. Some journalists started writing obituary of the Grand Alliance and a newspaper carried a report that BJP chief Amit Shah had even met Nitish some days before note-ban. The Bihce chief minister later hotly denied any such report and lambasted the media for doing such speculative story.

Post April 4, that is since SuMo launched his campaign against Lalu’s alleged land deal the BJP is once again trying to create confusion in the Grand Alliance.

In a recent interview to a TV channel Amit Shah came down heavily on Lalu for his alleged corrupt land deals  but gave a clean chit to Nitish. This clearly shows that he is soft towards the latter and, in a way, does not rule out any deal in future.

But everything is not hunky-dory in the state BJP. Its own house is not in order.

Instead of creating confusion and differences in the Grand Alliance the party in Bihar got bogged down in infighting. Shatrughan Sinha and Sushil Modi started accusing each other on no other issue but Lalu Prasad. This certainly sent a wrong message to the people and affected the morale of of the party workers.

Shatrughan Sinha may be down, but not totally out. He is still a crowd puller and his image is not bad. For the Kayastha politics in Bihar he is still important and the BJP can not afford to lose him so easily.

Sushil Modi is not a crowd puller or a demagogue. But he is a strategist and a fighter.

Unlike the present state unit chief Nityanand Rai or leader of opposition in the state Assembly, Prem Kumar, both the above-mentioned leaders are a sort of asset and largely free from any controversy. Yet it is they who are baying for each other’s blood.

Thus, instead of creating confusion and differences in the Grand Alliance, the BJP is busy dousing the fire within. So politically it has lost its case.

But the BJP has other means too. The Income Tax raids are one of them. Though the  details are awaited yet reports say that none of Lalu Prasad’s immediate family members has been touched.

 

 

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