Prime Minister Narendra Modi geared up for a blitzkrieg of rallies before each of the five phases of Bihar polls starting second week of this month as the BJP appeared relieved and pleased with the beef issue taking the centre-stage of campaign.
Modi is scheduled to address four rallies on October 8 followed by three the next day, before campaigning for the first phase comes to an end on October 10, sources said.
Similar slew of rallies would be held before each of the five phases with the Prime Minister offering as much of time for the Bihar campaign that removes any doubt that Modi had put his image at stake for a state election.
The slew of Modi rallies in Bihar comes as the beef debate rocked the election campaign and a controversial junior minister in the Modi government sought to put focus on the issue by calling a meeting of meat exporters.
Junior agriculture minister Sanjeev Kumar Baliyan said he had called a meeting of meat exporters on Tuesday to review the spurt in export of meat from India to ascertain whether any illegal slaughter of animals particularly cow was taking place.
Baliyan, charged with inciting mobs and making provocative speeches in the run up to the Muzaffarnagar riots that took place in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, alleged large-scale slaughter of cows in the Samajwadi Party-ruled Uttar Pradesh.
"The export of meat has gone up in recent months. At the same time, cow slaughter has become rampant in Uttar Pradesh and other states," Baliyan told reporters, pointing out that he would try to find out from the exporters whether there was a connection between spurt in meat export and illegal cow slaughter.
Though top central BJP leaders are refraining from speaking on the beef issue, kicked up by the lynching of a middle-aged man in Dadri of Uttar Pradesh on the presumption of eating and storing beef, some ministers and MPs of the party are trying their best to keep the issue burning with their statements.
The BJP insiders acknowledged the beef debate had rescued the party from the "goof-up" by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on reservations. Election managers of the party said they have managed to put the Lalu Prasad-Nitish Kumar duo on the back-foot on the beef issue. "The beef debate has rescued us from a very tricky situation on reservations and Lalu has fallen in the trap by his statement that even Hindus eat beef," said a BJP leader appearing pleased by the turn of events.
The BJP managers acknowledged they were up against a formidable Nitish-Lalu combination but hoped the blitzkrieg of rallies by Modi would turn the tide in their favour. "Look, we cannot hope to win Bihar without a wave in our favour and PM's rallies are aimed at building a wave ahead of every phase," a key BJP leader added. So far, Modi has addressed only one rally a day in Bihar. The string of rallies just ahead of the polling is aimed to sway the floating voters, particularly the youth, leaders said.
It remains to be seen, however, whether Modi who has refrained from speaking on the reservation issue, chooses to speak anything on the controversial beef debate.
