Counting heads, Paswan may spoil UPA party

If the crowd-response to Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ramvilas Paswan’s rallies is any indication, Laloo Yadav and Nitish Kumar had ...

If the crowd-response to Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ramvilas Paswan’s rallies is any indication, Laloo Yadav and Nitish Kumar had better be on their guard. Going by Paswan’s election meetings, he could again play spoilsport in the Bihar ambitions of the two backward caste leaders.

Paswan, now on a whirlwind helicopter tour of the state, is addressing four to five meetings a day—and most are well-attended. It may be too early to hazard a guess, but it seems poll gurus predicting Paswan’s doom may be in for a jolt.

On Wednesday, Paswan addressed five meetings across south Bihar at Bhabua, Buxar, Sasaram, Arra and Jehanabad. Other than at Arra, all meetings had very good attendance. Paswan always spoke at length and the crowd heard him with rapt attention. What may be disturbing for Laloo was Muslims being drawn to the meetings.

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At Bichian, the constituency of RJD heavyweight and former minister Jagatanand Singh in Kaimur district, Jamaluddin Ansari of Noa was part of the crowd. He stood through the hour-long show hearing Paswan. ‘‘He is demanding a Muslim CM and so I have come to listen to him,’’ Ansari said. Asked if he supported the LJP leader’s demand, Ansari replied without hesitation: ‘‘Why not? Why should the CM always be from Laloo’s family?’’ The LJP leader is trying to wean away Muslims from Laloo saying, ‘‘Muslim support helped Laloo rule Bihar for 15 years. If he loves the community, why is he against a Muslim CM? Why does he want only Rabri Devi? Does he feel Muslims are unfit to rule? After all, Muslims constitute 16 per cent of Bihar’s population.’’

In the upper caste-dominated areas, Paswan has a smart logic for preferring a Muslim CM. ‘‘Laloo cannot be defeated till Muslims leave him. Muslims and Yadavs add up to 30-35 per cent of votes. So to defeat him, the M factor has to be taken out,’’ he stressed at the Jehanabad meeting. The place is dominated by Bhumihars, and it’s evident that many of them would like Laloo to go.

‘‘The day a Muslim becomes the CM of Bihar, nobody can stop a dalit from becoming the Prime Minister,’’ he told the crowd at Sasaram.

EC notice to Laloo

PATNA: The Election Commission has served notices on Railway Minister and RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav and his colleague, Union Minister of State for Company Affairs Prem Chand Gupta, responding to a model code violation complaint. They have been asked to file replies by September 19. They allegedly used their official car during a recent visit to the EC headquarters in New Delhi to submit a representation regarding rescheduling of polls.

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