Patna, June 16: The stand-off between the BJP and the Congress over the death of Swami Nigamanand has reached the swami’s home state.

Days after a “relatively obscure son” of Mithilanchal and crusader for saving the holy river Ganga, Swami Nigamanand, died in Haridwar after 115 days of fast, the battle for claiming political advantage appears to have begun.

A day after the Congress slammed the BJP that it should be ashamed of the death of the swami, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi extended all help to the family members of the deceased crusader and declared that the state government will help in bringing back the body to his native home in Darbhanga.

“He was a saint — a mahatma. The Haridwar government has given an order for CBI inquiry. From newspaper, I got the information that people of Matri Sadan Ashram are asking for the last rituals to be performed at the ashram itself. Bihar government has no role in this issue. It has also been informed that his body would be kept for three days at the ashram for his disciples to get his last blessings. I believe that Nigamanand being a swami does not belong to any family. It depends on the decision of his disciples of his ashram on where and how they want to perform the last rituals,” Modi said today at the BJP party office in Patna.

Stressing that the swami had been in coma since May 2, Modi said that the Uttarakhand government had already ordered a CBI probe. “As far as the last rites are concerned, it depends on the wish of the people at his ashram. If they seek any help from us, we would do so. If his disciples would want his body to be brought to his ashram in Bihar then we would help in that regard. We may have to talk to the chief minister of Uttarakhand in that case,” he added.

It is hardly surprising that a BJP MLA from Mithilanchal, Vinod Narayan Jha, has submitted a letter to deputy chief minister demanding that the body of Swaroopam Kumar Girish alias Swami Nigamanand should be brought to Bihar for public darshan.

Jha also demanded the late swami should be honoured in the 100-year-celebration of Bihar and a statue of the swami besides the Ganga. He also demanded that the state government should take inspiration from the swami’s supreme sacrifice and lead the clean-Ganga drive in the country.

The stand-off between the Congress and the BJP over Nigamanand’s death has more to do with politics of caste than the love for Ganga. The Swami hailed from the heart of Mithilanchal, Darbhanga, which has a substantial Brahmin vote — the caste the swami hailed from. The Brahmins of Mithilanchal till mid ’90s were traditional Congress voters. However, after that period as the Congress moved towards Lalu Prasad, this upper caste people shifted their loyalties to the BJP.

The Congress has been making efforts to woo back this substantial vote by fielding a large number of candidates from the caste. However, the move has failed to get the desired result. That an obscure sanyasi has suddenly being projected as the “pride of Bihar” the battle appears to have regained momentum.