The outcome of the by-elections has infused new energy in JD(U), RJD and Congress in the state of Bihar after they received severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress won the maximum seats at results of the by-polls in 18 constituencies across four states – Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Karnataka. However, we can’t term it as a major setback for the BJP. The result is a positive sign for the Congress Party and I think the good days for our countrymen have not come yet. Congress has swept the by-polls in Uttarakhand in July and has proven to be successful in Bihar as well. With the public voting for Congress Party, the by polls clearly indicate acche din of Narendra Modi has made no difference. On the other hand, re-bonding of old rivals Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar checkmated BJP’s march in Bihar with secular alliance winning 6 of the 10 Assembly seats. The remaining four seats were won by BJP. Though, the outcome of the by polls would not have much impact on health of Jitan Ram Manjhi ministry as it already enjoys support of 145 MLAs in the 243-member House. BJP in company of LJP and RLSP of Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha had won 31 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. It is sad that Nitish had to join Lalu to beat BJP. BJP is also an opportunistic party, which uses a skewed version of Hindutva to entice voters with a narrow vision. It too suffers from cadres whose main intention is to make quick buck while in power.
Congress Party that fought and won independence is difficult to erase from memory of common Indian. Mahatma Gandhi would simply dissolve the party and would recommend eradication of corruption and communalism as the first step. Unfortunately, politicians know too much about our voters. They know that Indian voter is as corrupt as them and would tolerate nonsense at higher levels. The only salvation for India is a genuine transformation from bottom up and top down. We don’t have leaders who can inspire confidence with the “secular alliance” successfully halting BJP’s victory in Bihar by-polls.
Though the results are satisfactory, but still Nitish and Lalu need to do a lot in future for better outcome. The media’s unabated support to saffron party as against the Lalu-Nitish-Congress combo did not sell this time to the Bihar’s voters. Where have the voters gone now as the media claimed that the first public meeting of the duo Lalu-Nitish appearing together drew no cheers from the crowd and that only a few hundred attended the rally? They decline BJP because it has started to rose up in power and gain momentum but they are giving prominence and a free hand to RSS, VHP and other non-secular forces in its internal party affairs. The recent by-election results have light up the mood in the Congress camp. However, there is a ominous sign in Bihar, where Lalu has shadowed the Congress and JD(U). The next move of Lalu will be to capture the CM’s post. He may try it in the immediate future. Bihar’s public has to realise that the return of Lalu could be the death knell for Bihar. The only party which can avert Lalu’s rise is BJP. I hope BJP will rises to the occasion. Sushil Modi has to work hard.
BJP which banks on communal schism, by formulating stories like Love Jihad, has been shown its place by the Bihari voters. BJP’s role in various riots that occurred in India over the last two decades is itself a proof of its nature of politics. Zero Muslim candidates in places like Gujarat, UP in Parliamentary elections itself shows that the party is heavily biased. Now, coming to the portrayal of Mandal movement as casteist itself is a big folly which we must expose. Prior to Mandal movement, politics was purely an upper caste business where OBCs/SCs/STs were denied their representation. This changed drastically came up with Vishwanath Pratap Singh’s ‘Mandal’ implementation. No one can think about someone like Mayawati will become the CM of Uttar Pradesh before implementation of ‘Mandal’. Upper caste people only were ruling in India before. So, portraying some as caste politics and those which is deeply immersed in upper caste politics as correct politics itself is a fraud. Caste politics is a lower caste assertion to demand their rightful share of power.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and former union minister Preneet Kaur on Monday won the Patiala assembly seat defeating her nearest SAD rival Bhagwan Dass Juneja. Kaur is wife of former chief minister Amarinder Singh, who won by a margin of 23,282 votes. The seat fell vacant after Amarinder got elected to Lok Sabha from Amritsar. AAP, which had bagged four Lok Sabha seats out of total 13 in Punjab, had finished third at Patiala whereas its candidate Baljinder Kaur is trailing way behind SAD and Congress candidate from Talwandi Sabo seat.
