The dust had barely settled from the Delhi election when BJP leaders got busy discussing their strategy in Bihar in the wake of the crisis in the ruling JD-U. The BJP is seeing the battle between chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and his predecessor Nitish Kumar as a win-win situation for it as it eyes the mahadalit vote in the state, which is heading for elections later this year.
The dust had barely settled from the Delhi election when BJP leaders got busy discussing their strategy in Bihar in the wake of the crisis in the ruling JD-U. The BJP is seeing the battle between chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and his predecessor Nitish Kumar as a win-win situation for it as it eyes the mahadalit vote in the state, which is heading for elections later this year.
While it is keeping a close watch on the developments before taking a decision on fishing in the JD-U's troubled waters, the party is painting Kumar the villain of the Bihar crisis while describing Manjhi as an icon of the mahadalits. "Bihar has become victim to Nitish Kumar's hunger for power... He is hurling allegations only on BJP. He needs to tell the public in Bihar as to what was the reason that he broke an alliance with BJP. Wasn't it because of his own aspiration to become prime minister?" BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said on Monday, a day after Manjhi had an hour-long meeting with prime minister Narendra Modi. However, he denied that the political scenario was discussed at the meeting on Sunday.
Party sources said the BJP would wait for some clarity on the numbers supporting Manjhi before it takes a call. The party is treading cautiously as it neither wants to antagonise Manjhi's mahadalit support base, which accounts for around 20 per cent, nor make him a complete martyr, they said.
When asked what stand the party would take during the floor test, Hussain said, "We will decide on the floor of the House. We have several options before us." He said whether Manjhi has majority or Nitish would be decided on the floor of the House.
Though the BJP is trying to draw political capital out of the strife in the JD-U, it is aware that if Nitish Kumar is the chief minister, he would have control over the administration in the six months leading to elections. In such a scenario, the BJP is likely to campaign against him while trying to project him as someone who targeted a dalit leader.
"We follow on the lines of Deendayal Upadhyay.... If a person from a dalit or mahadalit community is humiliated, the BJP will ensure justice," Hussain said.
In the 233-member Bihar assembly (nine members have been disqualified and one member expired), the JD-U has 111, BJP 87, RJD 24, Congress 5, CPI one and five are independents.
The BJP has been busy with its membership drive ending on March 31, with the leadership setting an ambitious target of 75 lakh in Bihar.
On Sunday night, NDA ministers attended a meeting at agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh's residence. BJP spokespersons lashed out at Nitish Kumar on Monday blaming him for the imbroglio in the JD-U and accusing him of insulting the mahadalit community.
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