With RJD President Lalu Prasad giving a call for going back to “Mandal bomb” with JD (U) leader and former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to defeat BJP in the coming Assembly election, the BJP on Monday described his assertions as “empty” saying they got support of all sections of society in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
“Now both Mandal and Kamandal are with BJP as indicated by general election recently,” senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters.
‘Mandal’ symbolised political changes in early ‘90s in Bihar in the wake of implementation of Mandal commission recommendations providing reservation to OBC in jobs which helped RJD rule in Bihar for 15 years. ‘Kamandal’ refers to political movement in the wake of Ayodhya temple movement in the ‘90s which helped BJP ride to power.
Mr. Modi took potshots at Mr. Prasad for hinting alliance with Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) for the upcoming Bihar polls and questioned his arithmetic of 45 per cent votes polled by both the parties in the recent Parliamentary election.
“In 2009 general election also Lalu Prasad was banking on similar arithmetics by combining RJD 32 per cent vote in last Assembly poll to LJP 11 per cent. But what happened to them? While RJD got four seats, LJP had drawn blank and NDA had won 32 seats then,” Mr. Modi said.
He further said the votes of the two parties were against each other which could not be transferred. “Lalu Prasad’s vote percentage of about 25 per cent in 2014 poll was against JD (U) and BJP while Nitish Kumar’s party 20 per cent vote was against RJD,” he said and asked how the two could be mixed?
His party colleague and leader of opposition in state Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav said Mr. Prasad’s old “MY” (Muslim Yadav) formula was no longer relevant now as OBCs and Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs), his support base earlier, have shifted to BJP due to charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“OBCs and EBCs have seen RJD’s 15 year rule in Bihar which gave them nothing except for slogans and will not want to go back to Lalu Prasad,” Mr. Yadav told reporters.
Both Mr. Modi and Mr. Yadav made a scathing attack at Mr. Kumar for hinting alliance with the RJD.
“It will be a losing bait for Nitish Kumar,” Mr. Modi said.
With both the RJD and JD(U) decimated by the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Prasad had on Saturday while addressing 18th foundation day function of RJD at Vaishali, indicated at fighting coming Assembly polls in Bihar with the JD(U). He had also given a call to return to “Mandal bomb” to win the polls.
