Positioning Nitish as a PM face, JD(U) kicks off Bhaichara Yatra, focuses on Muslim vote

The nearly month-long yatra would cover 27 of Bihar’s 38 districts, which have sizeable Muslim population. Led by JD (U) MLC Khalid Anwar, the yatra would be periodically joined by some key Bihar ministers, including Bihar minority welfare minister Zama Khan, along its long route. Bihar CM and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar will, however, not be part of the yatra.

JD (U) sources said some of the reasons for the party undertaking this march include recent communal violence in Bihar Sharif and Sasaram as well as apprehensions of communal discord in the state in the run-up to the polls. A key ally of the BJP, the JD(U) walked out of the NDA in August last year, with Nitish then joining hands with the RJD and other Mahagathbandhan allies to form their own government.

The yatra also seems to be aimed at positioning Nitish at the national level as a possible prime ministerial face for the 2024 polls.

Launching the yatra at Narkatiaganj, Khalid Anwar told a gathering: “We Muslims are living in a difficult times. What we wear and what we cook and eat are under scanner now. This is totally against Ganga-Jamuni culture we often talk about. This is why we need to wake up, use our discretion and not get provoked,” adding “We fought against the British during the freedom movement and never cared about others’ names and surnames”.

Anwar highlighted a host of measures taken by Nitish during his chief ministerial tenure over the last 18 years for social cohesion and for the development of the Muslim community by taking initiatives such as fencing of cemetries across the state.

Anwar told The Indian Express: “Our objective is to engage with influential community people and clerics from each village of areas we intend to cover during our yatra. We are spreading liberal ideas and giving people the right perspective on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) asking them not to get provoked by viral news and canards”.

The JD (U) has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push for a UCC as a “political stunt” ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, asserting that his statement had nothing to do with the welfare of minorities. The party has maintained that the UCC should not be imposed without substantive consultations with all stakeholders and concurrence of various religious groups.

Led by JD (U) MLC Khalid Anwar, the yatra would be periodically joined by some key Bihar ministers, including Bihar minority welfare minister Zama Khan, along its long route.

Anwar also said, “Though we like equal participation of Hindus and Muslims in the yatra, we see more turnout of Muslims. The heads of the Muslim religious organisations and the community clerics are happy at being given importance and taken into confidence. We would tell a gathering a few basic things such as reaching out to Hindus and attend their social functions and not getting carried away by what our political adversaries say.”

On a possible collision between the Constitution and the Shariat, the JD (U) MLC said the yatra would make a pitch for the Constitution as it “protects all religious laws” and is “necessary for our progress”.

Anwar said the march would also showcase Nitish’s “achievements”. “While our opponents might try to foment communal tension, we are asking fellow Muslims to be cautious of such elements and focus on constructive aspects of social cohesion. We want both communities to mingle more than ever before,” he said.

The JD (U) would thus offer a counter to the BJP’s bid to highlight the PM’s achievements before the people, said a JD (U) source.

The yatra will cover several districts of North Bihar, including West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi and Siwan. It will also traverse the Mithilanchal belt of Darbhanga and Madhubani, passing through the districts of Kishanganj, Katihar, Araria and Purnia in Semanchal, which account for more than 40 per cent Muslim population.