PM Modi to be BJP mascot in Bihar polls

PATNA: The state BJP, leading the three-party NDA, will go to the Bihar assembly elections in October-November with PM Narendra Modi as its mascot.
BJP national general secretary (organization) Ram Lal made this abundantly clear at the inaugural session of the state executive committee meet of the party being held to chalk out future plans to take on the opposition in a new situation arising from the proposed merger of the Samajwadi Party, JD (U) and RJD.
“The popularity and achievements of PM Narendra Modi is our inherited ‘poonji (capital)’. We have to take it ahead in Bihar, too,” said Lal. He geared up the state party to capitalize on the PM’s national popularity and the achievements.
Lal also asked the party’s state executive committee members and other invitees to repeat two slogans with him. One of the slogans said, ‘Bihar Ka Hoga Poora Vikas, Chalo Chalen Modi Ke Saath.’ Then, recalling the thrust of party president Amit Shah, he asked the Bihar leaders to adopt his slogan, ‘Jiski Kendra Mein Sarkar, Uski Pradesh Mein Sarkar.’
Lal, thereby, also short-circuited any claims and speculation in Bihar that the national BJP might announce its own CM candidate for the state polls in advance, now that former CM Nitish Kumar is set to become the face of the BJP’s main political rival – the merged SP, JD (U) and RJD.
Bihar BJP chief Mangal Pandey, while welcoming the guests at the two-day meet, described former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi as ‘hamare neta (our leader)’. Lal, for his part, described Sushil Modi as leader of opposition in the legislative council, and Nand Kishore Yadav as leader of opposition in the state assembly. Curiously, at the last executive committee meet held five months ago, Sushil Modi was projected as CM candidate by the party’s circles, but two other former ministers – Prem Kumar and Satyadeo Narayan Arya – also staked claim for the same status, whereby it was said that the matter would be decided by the BJP parliamentary board.
Pointing to the USP of PM Narendra Modi, Lal said his popularity rested on his assertion as the country’s ‘pradhan sewak’ and people’s faith in him and the fact that he, even though being the PM, picked up the broom to sweep and clean the ground to personally give spur to the ‘Clean India’ campaign.
Describing the proposed merger of the SP, JD (U) and RJD as ‘bemel gathbandhan (unnatural alliance)’, Lal said it was less a matter of people and more of the families of its leaders. “The Congress has already been pushed far behind. Now these parties are coming together to challenge the BJP. The party’s rank and file accept it and would work to their defeat,” Lal said, adding that last year had been the year of the BJP’s wins, and 2015 would also see its win in Bihar after Delhi.
“We will not contest the Bihar elections to increase our MLAs, but to form the state government,” Lal said.