The way these two leaders approached and played the role of architects in the meeting is not a healthy sign for the BJP in Bihar and in the country. These two leaders have a unique style to connect with the people of the state. It was seen in the 2015 assembly poll when they stopped the “Vijay Rath” of Narendra Modi in Bihar.
The situation in 2024 is worse for the BJP as anti-incumbency is also at its peak. The BJP government at the Centre is facing much criticism for failing to deliver on the promises they made in 2014. In this situation, the combination of Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar will make them a formidable opponent for the BJP.
Nitish Kumar was the one who played the crucial role of inviting leaders of different political parties to come to Patna on his call. It has also proved that the acceptance of Nitish Kumar among various political parties is the highest. He has a clean image with no legal or corruption charges levelled against him. He was also declared the convener of these parties which means he will play the role of mediator during seat sharing talks between two or more parties for the Lok Sabha poll.
Following the grand success of Patna’s meeting, Shalini Mishra, JD-U MLA, uploaded a post on social media containing a photograph of Nitish Kumar and the slogan “Desh Mange Nitish”.
Ashok Chaudhary, building construction minister in the Bihar government said: “A strong person is always behind every people’s movement. Bihar was witness to many people’s movements in the past which had shaken the ruling parties in the country.”
“It is necessary in a democracy that a strong opposition is there, and it is possible through the efforts of Nitish Kumar,” Chaudhary said.
Lalan Singh, national president of the JD-U said: “JP Nadda and Amit Shah have nothing left to say to us. Hence, they talk about the Congress and the Shiv Sena coming on the same platform where we are. It is an irresponsible statement.”
“During the Emergency in 1975 when we were fighting, it was the fight against the situation at that time and not against any government. The situation in the current phase is worse than in an emergency. At that time, the press was free but now the press is in its control, all constitutional institutions are controlled by them. They have taken control over the managements of the media organizations. So, democracy is under threat today. The BJP is destroying democracy and asking us to remember the Emergency,” Singh said.
“If anyone talks against you (Centre), the CBI, ED, Income Tax target them. It was not the case during the Emergency when Indira Gandhi had used these constitutional institutions. The Centre is threatening the people of the country, the independence of the country is under threat and hence we are fighting against this situation and the Congress party is with us,” Singh said.
Lalan Singh while reacting to the statement of Amit Shah, said: “He is a forecaster and if he has forecast that the BJP will win more than 300 seats and Modi Ji will form the government in the country it means Modi Ji is losing the election. When the 2015 assembly election in Bihar was taking place, he stayed here for three months and forecast that the BJP will form the government till 10.30 a.m. on the day of counting. What was the result, the BJP won only 53 seats. When he went to West Bengal, he forecast his government with a two-third mandate. His party was fighting against Mamata Didi, what happened there. He forecast the same in Himachal and Karnataka and what were the results? If he is claiming that Modi Ji will form the government by winning 300 seats it means he is losing the election,” Lalan Singh added.
“Before the start of the opposition unity meeting in Patna, BJP leaders spread confusion about who will come and who will not on Friday. Now, you have seen every political party having an anti BJP-RSS ideology gathered on one platform. We believe that the meeting succeeded more than our expectations. The BJP leaders are now believing that their departure is near and they are feeling uneasy. The foundation of a BJP Mukt Bharat was laid at the meeting in Patna,” said RJD spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan.
“We have the simple formula of one to one fights and reduce the dispersal of votes. We have a higher percentage of votes than the BJP. They had gained only 37% votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election which means that voters having an anti saffron mindset are much higher in numbers,” Gagan added. (IANS)