Results on 4 seats can8217;t be construed as victory for Laloo8217;

Nov 7: Sushil Kumar Modi, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, is among the younger lot of the BJP leaders who have made a mar...

Nov 7: Sushil Kumar Modi, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, is among the younger lot of the BJP leaders who have made a mark for themselves. One of the most bitter critics of Rashtriya Janata Dal RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav, he was, interestingly, the Patna University Students8217; Union8217;s general secretary way back in 1973 while Laloo was its president. At that time too, his loyalties lay with the RSS and he was a representative of the ABVP. Currently in New Delhi to attend the BJP national executive, the 47-year-old Modi spoke to DEVESH KUMAR on a whole range of issues. Excerpts:

The results of the elections to the four Lok Sabha seats in your state which went to the polls on October 28 are said to be a setback for the BJP. Did your party peak a bit too early in the state?
We8217;ll have to consider the results in totality. We cannot analyse them in isolation. The BJP-JDU alliance won 41 of the 54 seats in Bihar. Of the four seats which went to the polls in the latest round, twoKhagaria and Purnea 8212; were won by anti-Laloo forces. The loss of Khagaria is a severe setback for Laloo as he had fielded his close associate and fodder scam co-accused R.K. Rana8217;s wife Naina as the RJD candidate. He spent a lot of money and time in the constituency, but despite this, his party lost.

In Purnea, both Laloo and his party colleague Taslimuddin had camped there for three days to ensure their arch-rival Pappu Yadav8217;s defeat. But, despite this, the latter won. The CPIM candidate who was sponsored by the RJD, in fact, forfeited his security deposit.

Laloo was not invited by Congressmen to campaign for their candidate at Rajmahal. Here, the people voted for Thomas Hansda, and not the Congress.Yes, the loss of Bhagalpur was a setback for us. Our prospects received a jolt because of the last-minute withdrawal of the rebel RJD candidate Chunchun Prasad Yadav. There was also polarisation along caste lines.We should not read too much from these results. Local factors also worked against us. Ourworkers too had become complacent.

It is said that the JDU leaders are very happy with the results. Was there a complete lack of coordination between the two alliance partners?
This is not correct. As a matter of fact, BJP leaders worked day in and out in Khagaria. Our supporters voted for the JDU candidate in a big way.

JDU leaders Ram Vilas Paswan and Nitish Kumar also campaigned for us. They wanted to go to more places, but could not do so because the Lok Sabha session was on. Anand Mohan too pitched in with his support.

Also, by no stretch of imagination could these results be construed as a victory for Laloo. Let me reiterate that the results will have no impact on our relationship. On the contrary, our unity will be strengthened.

Will the results of the four Lok Sabha seats have an impact on the seat-sharing between the BJP and the JDU for the Assembly elections?
It will have no bearing on the seat-sharing arrangement between the two partners even though we haven8217;t yetfinalised the exact seat-sharing formula. In the current Assembly, the BJP has 44 MLAs, while the Samata Party has a mere three. Even if you add the 18 MLAs belonging to the Janata Dal, their combined strength comes to 21, which is half our strength.

Again, we won 23 Lok Sabha seats, while our alliance partner won 18. In all the elections conducted since 1995, we were ahead of the JDU in terms of Assembly segments. Naturally, the BJP is the bigger partner. We8217;ll fight more seats than the JDU8230;Whatever be the number, the issue will be sorted out amicably.

What will be the main issues in the forthcoming Assembly elections?
The issue is only one to rid Bihar of the jungle raj. All the other issues flow from it. These include corruption, the complete breakdown of law and order and the total lack of development in the state.

How will the state8217;s political situation shape up if the Congress decides to break off its alliance with the RJD?
It will have no bearing on the political equations.The Congress in Bihar is so discredited that even if it fights the elections separately, it will make no difference on our fortune. Rather it will make a dent in the Muslim vote bank, which will directly affect the RJD. As far as the forward castes are concerned, they were humiliated during the RJD rule which was propped up by the Congress.

There is a lot of speculation about the alliance8217;s chief ministerial candidate.
There is a strong opinion within the BJP that no leader should be projected as the chief minister. In any case, the MLAs will elect their leader. Projecting anyone as the CM may boomerang. A team of central and state leaders should lead the alliance8217;s campaign in the Assembly elections.

There are reports that the state BJP is riven with differences.
This is totally incorrect. We are completely united.