LS poll a different ball game, no challenger to PM Modi in Opp: Bihar BJP chief

Bharatiya Janta Party(BJP) state president Samrat Choudhary said that Bihar would be a key state for the saffron party and it was confident of doing well in 2024 “despite chief minister Nitish Kumar shifting sides to further his personal ambition at the cost of state’s downhill journey”.

The BJP state president in an interview with Arun Kumar, said that the Karnataka assembly poll results will have no impact in Bihar or elsewhere, as the Lok Sabha election is an entirely different ball game. He said that the 2024 results would pave the way for the BJP government in Bihar after the 2025 Assembly elections, as the Grand Alliance would disintegrate due to its own contradictions and Nitish Kumar’s “selfish politics”. Excerpts:

How tough will Bihar be as Opposition is buoyant after Karnataka?

Every election is tough. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going. BJP is a cadre-based party and it prepares hard for every election. We accept the people’s mandate with humility, but we never shy away from giving our 100%. Winning or losing is not in our hands. Our job is to put in the right effort. Our senior leaders do the same and the result is before everyone. Karnataka’s results give us reasons to study the causes and work harder. For 2024, people know there is no competition at the top. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proved himself both within the country as well as on the global stage and that is a big advantage for the BJP. His social welfare initiatives have touched millions irrespective of caste, creed or religion. We are working on the ground. In BJP, there is no fiefdom kind of thing, as most of the religion parties seem to have developed on caste lines. The Lok Sabha election is an entirely different ball game and the people also vote differently.

But Nitish is striving to make Bihar the nucleus of the big fight? An Opposition meet is also likely.

What Nitish Kumar is doing is only for his personal survival. He is no more the same Nitish Kumar that he was 10 years ago. Age is getting the better of him. He forgets things now and speaks in an incoherent way. With the BJP, he had built his image, but that has vanished due to his actions. By joining hands with Lalu Prasad, he has shown that he can go to any extent to prolong his rapidly fading political career. People of Bihar never gave him the majority even at his peak. Now the question does not arise. He wants to sail through riding piggyback on the RJD. He stands exposed and those who supported him are disillusioned and leaving. The opposition meet will be nothing more than a show of defeated and rejected leaders. They cannot have a unanimous leader as there are too many.

Like in 2015, the GA seems to be banking on the electoral arithmetic?

A lot of water has flown down the Ganga since then. RJD basically remains an M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) party and that advantage it has managed to protect to an extent. But beyond that, it will be tough. JD-U no more enjoys the aura it once enjoyed due to strong fissures in the Koeri-Kurmi-Dhanuk votes. The people who voted for Nitish Kumar don’t see any future in him. BJP has a number of leaders from the three communities on their side. With Nitish Kumar’s credibility and influence on the decline he will be more of a liability for the GA. Congress in Bihar is nowhere to be seen. So, what happened in 2015 is history. In politics, the same formula does not always work. People have seen both JD-U’s opportunism and RJD’s misrule. Now, it is time for the BJP.

But Nitish Kumar is going all out for Opposition unity?

This is ridiculous for a leader who does not even contest elections. He is a back-door politician who thrives on manipulation. Look at his journey from the beginning. What he is doing is only to prolong his stay in the chair, as he himself knows his time is up. Despite everything, Lalu Prasad is a leader who has a vote bank, while Nitish has nothing. A weak Nitish means no scope for the JD-U. Nitish is moving around the country to distract attention. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik showed him his place. The Opposition unity is a myth. No regional leader of substance will allow Nitish the space he wants. Trust deficit with Nitish Kumar is the biggest handicap, as is the absence of a unanimous leader against a proven Narendra Modi.

Caste survey is one issue that can polarise backward classes and extremely backward classes in Bihar and elsewhere?

If that polarisation happens, BJP will benefit more. BJP was instrumental behind caste survey, but Nitish Kumar complicated it, as he often does to corner all credit. RJD was nowhere in the picture when the decision of caste survey was taken. If the government failed to defend its own decision in court, it reflects its intent. It is the government that complicated the matter and that is Nitish Kumar style to play on both sides. BJP is the only party that works for an inclusive society in the true sense. Other parties have an axe to grind, as they want to use caste to brighten the prospects of their leaders and their wards. Look around the country, you will find family politics thriving in the name of caste and creed. The people are also realising this. All the policies of the BJP government have been universal in nature with poor in focus.

How tough will it be for the BJP in ticket distribution? Are there fissures within the party?

We have to work on the ground and keep posted the party’s top leadership with the realities. It is a disciplined cadre-based party, which provides no room for personal ambition. The decision on ticket distribution will be made at the central level. The time has not come for that. I was made the party president out of the blue. That sums up the BJP. It cannot happen in other parties.

Is BJP still hoping for yet another U-turn from Nitish Kumar?

Home minister Amir Shah has categorically and repeatedly said there will be no room for him in the BJP or the NDA. He has lost credibility. The people are seeing how he is destroying the state by plunging it into lawlessness and corruption and how he is targeting Hindus to appease another section to hide his own failures. Now, the time has come for the BJP to have its own CM. It played the role of kingmaker for far too long. Be it Karpoori Thakur, Lalu Prasad, they all became CM with BJP support. The party supported Nitish Kumar five times for the CM’s chair. After 2024, BJP will win in 2025 also to have its own CM and add pace to Bihar’s growth, which the PM wants.