Bhagwat words untimely, voters feel BJP takes RSS orders: BJP MP

“People do not know the soil of Bihar. People (of Bihar) have fought against social disparity more than they struggled against economic disparity. They faced two things. One was the Jungle Raj of Lalu, the second the Aatank Raj of upper castes. Lalu convincingly told people that if Aatank Raj comes, everything you have will be snatched away. Your prestige will be taken away, you will be made a slave again. The backward castes of Bihar consolidated for social rights and social equality.”

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He said though Prime Minister Narendra Modi clarified his stand on reservation, it was already too late.

“Lalu and Nitish made it (Bhagwat’s remarks) an issue. How could the BJP have prevented it from becoming an issue? People believe that BJP kuchch nahin hai, jo Sangh ka aadesh hoga, Sangh ka hukum maanne wala hai. Sangh ka ghulam hai. Sangh jo hukum karega to yeh maanega. Sangh ke pradhan ne kaha ki review reservation… (People believe that the BJP will follow whatever is the diktat of Sangh. It is the slave of Sangh. Whatever Sangh orders, it will follow. Sangh’s chief said that review reservation).”

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“The BJP and Narendra Modi clarified that we will stake our lives for reservation. But backwards and Dalits did not believe it. Jab Sangh waale ne kah diya hai ki aarakshan ki sameeksha karenge, it means that our reservation will end. If the BJP comes to power, then the 26 per cent reservation in state politics that was given to them by Karpoori Thakur will be snatched away. Unhen dar ho gaya, bhay (There was fear among the backward castes, they were scared),” Yadav, a five-term MP, said.

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Pointing out that the timing of Bhagwat’s remarks was not proper, he said: “During elections, such statements… Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are extremely sensitive in this regard. In Gita, Bhagwan Krishna has said —- Deshe kale cha patre… (work should be done considering the place, time and person).”

He said the “unity and aggression” among backward castes during the Lok Sabha elections was fragmented in the assembly elections.

“Caste polarisation worked. EBCs went to the other camp fearing that if the BJP government comes, it will snatch our reservation. People become blind over the issue of caste, no reason prevails. If Lalu asks his supporters to jump in the Ganga, they will do it. But the strategists (of BJP) in Patna did not realise this. They were immersed in their imagination. The strategists, I call them Pataniya leaders, have no understanding of ground reality,” Yadav said.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey too said that “reservation became an issue”.

“A day before the elections, pamphlets on reservation were distributed among people. It diverted people. Mahaul banta gaya (an atmosphere was created). Bhagwatji’s comments were blown out of proportion. He had spoken with reference to the Gujarat movement, but it was made an issue. It became violent, attacking. We couldn’t counter it. It divided our votes,” said Choubey whose son Arijit Shashwat’s debut ended in defeat in Bhagalpur.

Kangra MP Shanta Kumar told The Indian Express: “People of Bihar have delivered an emphatic verdict. I feel the party erred in not undertaking an honest and serious self-introspection for the causes that resulted in our loss in the Delhi elections. We should have donethat.”

“After the Delhi loss, the party should have taken a pause, studied the causes (for the defeat), talked to seniors and done some honest self-introspection to find a way forward. It didn’t happen.”

Last month, Kumar expressed displeasure over incidents of communal clashes and controversial statements made by certain BJP leaders. He said such statements were distortions of the real meaning of Hinduism as defined by the Supreme Court, saints and scriptures.