Bihar polls: To counter Modi effect, Nitish Kumar goes for the jugular

A month later, Modi’s massive victory was a clear indication that his connect with Gujaratis is incorruptible.

While the ‘asmita’ card worked wonders for Modi, it was JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar who had some soul searching to do. The 2014 results reduced his party’s strength from 20 MPs in 2009 to a mere two, handing Nitish his worst political result.

With the state set to go to polls as early as next month, and with caste politics now being a tricky issue, Nitish has realised that perhaps the only way to reconnect with the masses is to play the son-of-the-soil card – the DNA of Bihar. And lucky for him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s DNA remark at a rally in Muzaffarpur offered him just the opportunity.

“There seems to be some problem in his DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy you respect even your political rivals,” Modi had said, referring to Nitish’s frequent change of politcal allegiance.

Not losing out on the opportunity to target his bête noire, Nitish took the Prime Minister’s jibe as an insult on the people of Bihar, seeking to link his DNA with that of his state.

“Your words have been taken as an insult by a large section of the people of the state and beyond. Most of us also feel that coming from you, the comment is rather unbecoming of the office you hold,” Nitish wrote on a Facebook post, urging the Prime Minister not to insult Biharis ahead of his visit to the state.

The BJP, however, was quick to respond, refusing to allow Nitish any political leverage. “Arrogance, betrayal, conspiracy and deceit are the ABCD of Nitish Kumar’s politics… Mr Nitish Kumar, before writing to the Prime Minister, please apologise to the people of Bihar for shamelessly distorting his words for petty political gains and humiliating Bihar in the process,” the letter said.

But Nitish was not one to give up. Hopeful that the ‘asmita’ card will work for him as well, the Bihar Chief Minister has now reportedly decided to send Modi a package with 50 lakh DNA samples!

Inspite of our repeated pleas Modiji hasn’t retracted his derogatory remarks on our DNA, we’re going to launch ????????? /TakeBackYourWords

— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) August 10, 2015

But can Nitish sustain his DNA campaign?

In a state where questions have repeatedly been raised about the standard of education, infrastructure and employment, Modi’s promise to rid Bihar of its Bimaru tag could well work for the BJP, who are currently a minority in the state assembly after the JD(U) chose to end their 17-year alliance in 2013 over Modi’s appointment as prime ministerial candidate.

Faced with the growing perception that the Modi government is failing to deliver on its achhe din promise, the BJP is desperate for a win, looking to keep alive the Modi sarkar charm.

And the strategy adopted by the BJP appears to be just that. While Modi made all attempts to keep caste politics aside, he took the opportunity to challenge Nitish on the development of the state.

“Before BJP rule, MP and Rajasthan too figured in the Bimaru list, and now the two states have scripted their own beautiful development story,” Modi said at his Sunday rally, reminding voters that the ‘B’ was still Bihar.

Moreover, with Lalu Prasad out of the game following his conviction in the fodder scam, the BJP has just Nitish Kumar to target.

No ‘Jungle Raaj 2.0’ could well be the BJP’s mantra, urging voters not to elect the “Janata ka Daman aur Utpidan Party (subjugation and torture party)”.

The Lalu Prasad factor

Days before the Janata Parivar was finalised, Lalu told reporters he was even willing to consume poison to keep communal forces at bay.

But with Lalu on his side, has Nitish taken perhaps his biggest political risk? When Nitish defeated the RJD in 2005, it was about putting an end to, again, the ‘Jungle Raaj’ that Lalu was synonymous with. Will voters see through the hypocrisy?

While both, Nitish and Lalu appear to be a strong force for now, seat-sharing discussions, set to begin this month, are sure to rock the alliance.

However, if the Assembly by-polls last year are anything to go by, a strong alliance could well lead the Janata Parivar to a massive victory.

Barely two months after Modi swept to power, Nitish and Lalu let go of their political rivalry to take on the BJP in the assembly by-polls. In the election to 10 seats, the JD(U)-RJD combine won six. The BJP, which held six of these 10 seats, won just four.

Also to their favour, the Congress, it appears, has decided to take it slow these elections and let the Janata Parivar lead from the front, given that their party’s performance in the state has only been on the decline (four in the currently assembly). For the BJP, only a Lalu-Nitish split ahead of the elections could turn the tide in their favour.

Nitish’s invoking of the Bihar asmita (pride), in what is the largest election since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, is set to further fuel the already surcharged political theatre. And, as they say, voter is king.