Rally season begins

Before every election, each political party and each major caste group calls for rallies to parade its strength and increase its bargaining ...

Before every election, each political party and each major caste group calls for rallies to parade its strength and increase its bargaining power. Though the public is mostly put at an inconvenience, politicians and wannabes are enthusiastic. Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, where such rallies are held, will remain busy throughout December. On November 27, Paswan started the season with ‘Bihar Bachao, Bihar Banao Rally’; on November 30 it is the CPI-ML’s rally; on December 2 is the BJP’s; and on December 23 it is the RJD’s. On other days an assorted variety of caste associations—of Bhumihars, Brahmins, Rajputs, Kurmis and Koeris to name a few—will assemble in Patna.

Bihari babu pitches for a new role

Fortunes of the BJP in the all-important of state of Bihar are hardly promising. To begin with, it doesn’t have an inspiring leader. Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha is pitching hard these days to be declared the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the coming assembly elections. Last week in Ranchi, where the BJP national executive was meeting, ‘sources close to Sinha’ told the media that Advani had sounded out Sinha to lead the BJP campaign. Ever willing to speak on the topic, Sinha said: ‘‘I too heard so and am willing to lead the party.’’ However, Advani later denied that the party had selected him.

A crowd-puller, Sinha’s oratory and acting skills certainly are assets for the party, which has few leaders of stature in the state. However, Sinha is not acceptable to very strong sections of the state party unit. Even if the party high command wants to field him, it will first have to rein in the opposition, particularly from the Bhumihar lobby—Sinha is a Kayasth.

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Sinha has not lost hope, however. He will be leading a Parivartan Yatra that will begin next month from Champaran.

Convenient distractions

Politicians in general have mastered the art of distraction and Laloo Prasad Yadav is arguably a past master at it. His favourite topic now is Gauri Advani’s letter to the RSS chief. In all his speeches and media interactions, the Rail Minister, out of the blue, turns to the controversy raised by the letter. On the sidelines there is another controversy related to the same letter—BJP leader Sushil Modi threatened to sue RJD MP Ram Kripal Yadav for distributing copies of the Advani letter in Patna. Ram Kripal is now daring Modi to sue him.

Communication revolution

At a press conference in Patna, when Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) leader Ram Vilas Paswan said Laloo had called up his party MLA Rajan Tiwari in Beur jail and threatened him, scribes asked him how it was possible. Tiwari is in jail, an accused in the Ajit Sarkar murder case along with RJD MP Pappu Yadav, and is not supposed to be available on phone. ‘‘I don’t know the details. But I know that Lalooji called Rajan Tiwari,’’ Paswan said. Given the fact that most of Bihar’s jailed gangsters and politicians are available on mobile phones it was all perhaps self-explanatory.