Upendra Kushwaha, Mukesh Sahani, and Chirag Paswan. The three leaders from Bihar are three potential allies for the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls next year and have either received central security cover in recent months or had their security category upgraded. While Kushwaha, an ex-Union minister and former Janata Dal (United) leader, received Y-Plus security last week, Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) leader and former state minister Sahani received Y-Plus security in February. Both received state government security cover earlier. In January, Jamui MP and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Paswan’s security cover was upgraded from Y-plus category to Z, under which the security detail consists of 22 personnel, including four to six National Security Guard (NSG) commandos. Under the Y-plus category, protectees get a security detail of 11 personnel, including two to four NSG commandos. The Centre has said the security cover given to the three is based on assessment following “intelligence inputs”. Though none of the three leaders has openly spoken about allying with the BJP, the ruling party at the Centre has insinuated the granting of the security covers is part of the efforts to cultivate potential allies for 2024. Paswan campaigned for the BJP in the Kurhani bypolls last December and Sahani, though unhappy with the BJP after the three MLAs of his party joined it, has not attacked the party of late. Kushwaha walked out of the JD(U) last month and floated the Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal (RLJD). He has dropped hints about aligning with the BJP. Given that the BJP faces the formidable social combination of the JD(U) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), having these three leaders on board is likely to help it. Chirag is the leader of the Scheduled Caste (SC) Paswan community, Kushwaha belongs to the Other Backward Class (OBC) Kushwaha community, and Sahani is from the Extremely Backward Class (EBC) Mallah community. These three communities account for more than 12 per cent of the state’s population. A BJP leader said, “With Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar joining hands along with the Congress and four other parties, they have the upper hand of having 10 per cent more votes than us. This is why the BJP needs Chirag, Kushwaha, and Sahani to even out the Mahagathbandhan and gain an upper hand using the Narendra Modi factor.” Asked if the upgrade of Chirag Paswan’s security represented the BJP’s attempts to firm up ties, LJP (Ram Vilas) spokesperson Vinit Singh said, “The upgrade of Chirag Paswan’s security from Y-plus to Z category has got many connotations. But the most important one is the increasing popularity of our leader across Bihar. The increased security also poorly reflects the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state under the Mahagathbandhan regime.” RLJD leader Rahul Kumar said: “Y-plus security to Upendra Kushwaha was given based on intelligence inputs. His convoy was attacked in Ara barely two months ago. We did not ask for security cover. But it was gracious of the Central government to give Kushwaha ji Y-plus security. We thank the Centre and advise Opposition not to play politics over it.” VIP spokesperson Dev Jyoti said his party’s leader Mukesh Sahani is the “biggest leader of the Nishad or Mallah community” and often holds public meetings in sensitive areas where Maoists were once active. “Though we did not ask for it, the Centre assessed it and gave Sahani ji security based on Intelligence feedback. We cannot stop people from making reading it politically,” he said. An official from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said, “Security is granted based on threat assessment by the Intelligence Bureau. All those who have been given security have been given based on this.” BJP OBC Morcha’s national general secretary Nikhil Anand also refused to read too much into the Centre’s decision. “The Grand Alliance is unnecessarily creating a furore over providing security to certain leaders. There is a regular process of assessment by the state and the Centre through which the security cover for certain people is curtailed, increased or extended. Politically, Grand Alliance leaders are nervous and uncomfortable because they are not able to keep their folk together. The BJP is working hard on strengthening its reach among people.” — With ENS Delhi inputs
