Patna, Sept. 28: Digital India abroad, caste politics back home.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been promoting Digital India initiatives in the US, his ministerial colleague Giriraj Singh said today: "If the BJP comes to power in the state, either a person belonging to the Yadav community or from extremely backward class (EBC) would be made chief minister."
Till now, Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar were playing the Mandal card accusing the BJP of its plan of tampering with the reservation issue. The BJP, it seems, replied to the Grand Alliance leaders in their own coin.
Giriraj, the Nawada MP and Union minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises, today told The Telegraph: "RJD chief Lalu Prasad's Yadav love for caste is confined to promoting his sons, daughter, wife and other relatives but when the BJP comes to power either a person belonging from Yadav community or from extremely backward class would be made chief minister."
Giriraj, who ahead of last year's general election stirred up controversy saying that those opposing Modi would have to go to Pakistan after the Lok Sabha polls, added that the BJP would not name upper caste leaders as chief minister.
Giriraj's statement, sources in the BJP said, had come to counter the Grand Alliance strategy of projecting the BJP as a party, which, if voted to power, would tamper with the reservation being given to the backward classes. Both Lalu and Nitish had been raising this point from various platforms ever since RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat issued a statement a few days back underlining the need of having a re-look on the reservation issue. Even though the BJP had distanced itself from the statement, claiming that it did not want any re-look on the reservation issue but Lalu and Nitish had been attacking the party on this.
Efforts of Lalu and Nitish to play the backward class politics, feel observers, is a calculated move as they want consolidation of backward classes, who constitute over half of Bihar's 6.68 crore electorate.
Countering Giriraj's statement JDU Rajya Sabha member and party national general secretary K.C. Tyagi said: "Who is Giriraj Singh? Neither he is BJP president nor Prime Minister. If the BJP claims to have a soft corner for backward and extremely backward class members then they should first name its chief ministerial candidate from backward, EBC community or Yadav community."
Echoing the views of Tyagi, RJD national spokesperson Manoj Jha said: "The BJP is again trying to fool the people. Elections are fought on declared leader and blueprint of development. Giriraj's statement should not be taken seriously."
Sources said Giriraj's statement and thereafter counter-attack by both the RJD and JDU leaders focus on the other backward classes (OBC) and EBC votes. In the last general election, the NDA wrested 31 seats in the state based on Modi's development plank and his projection as backward class leader. However, this time the game is not easy for the BJP as both Lalu and Nitish too have once again started claiming as the real messiah of backward classes. The RSS chief's statement on reservation has created more problems for the BJP.
"We will beat Lalu and Nitish in their own game. We have planned to attack Lalu for his promotion of family members in the name of backward class politics and Nitish for opposing the BJP when it projected its backward class leader Modi as the prime ministerial candidate. What Giriraj said today is just a beginning," a BJP insider, who requested anonymity, said.
Political observers feel that both the alliances banking on caste card is sure to push Bihar backward. An observer on condition of anonymity said: "During the '90s, Lalu's politics revolved around caste but when in 2005 Nitish became chief minister he gave a unity call for the Biharis. Even the government started celebrating Bihar Divas with a pride of being a Bihari. The BJP too claims of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' but once elections approach, their promises appear to be a myth and these leaders focus on consolidating caste towards their side."
