Dalit identity politics is taking center stage in Bihar and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) appears to be the battleground for deciding which party dominates the community, considered a formidable vote bank in the state.
The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) ran a full-page ad on Friday, with a stinging slogan: “Wo lad rahe hain hum par raaj karne ke liye, aur hum lad rahe hain Bihar par naaz karne ke liye ‘(They are fighting to rule us , we are fighting for the pride of Bihar).
Chirag Paswan is also giving a call “Aao Banayein naya Bihar, yuva Bihar; chalo chalen Yuva Bihari ke saath ‘(Let’s build a new Bihar, a young Bihar; let’s move with the young Bihar). Chirag identifies himself as ‘Yuva Bihari’, and his Twitter account also goes by the name ‘Yuva Bihari Chirag Paswan’.
The slogans, seen as an attack on Prime Minister Nitish Kumar, were rebuffed by JD (U) ‘s new ally in local Dalit icon and former Prime Minister, HAM-S chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, who said his party was ready to take on Chirag’s party head if he chose to run candidates against JD (U).
“Chirag says that wherever there is a JD (U) candidate, LJP will present their candidate. If so, my HAM-S party will present candidates against the LJP in the assembly elections. In the NDA, if all the constituents fight together, it will be good for the state and the country, ”Manjhi said, adding that he was there to strengthen Nitish Kumar, who has come under continuous attack from LJP, a member of the NDA. in the middle. .
Manjhi, whose decision to join forces with Nitish Kumar is seen as a tactical ploy to neutralize Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP, attacked Paswan, claiming that he did nothing for the Dalits despite doing Dalit politics for decades.
Also read: Nitish accelerates pending cases as battle for Dalit votes intensifies
In the evening, Manjhi also attended the meeting of the state-level surveillance and monitoring committee, established as part of the SC, ST (Atrocity Prevention) Act of 1955, in which the prime minister ordered that rules be established to give a job. to the relatives of a SC / ST person, who dies.
Manjhi was quick to welcome the measure in a matter of minutes and sought to have it implemented in other states as well.
Dalits, who make up nearly 18% of the state’s population, are very important in Bihar politics these days due to their growing assertion, and the showdown between Manjhi and Paswan is to establish credentials to lead the community.
Also read: The constituents of the Grand Alliance will face the Bihar assembly elections on a common agenda
However, former Bihar minister and Dalit leader Shyam Razak, who recently joined the RJD, accused Nitish Kumar of opportunistically courting Dalits before the polls.
“They killed so many dalits and now he has woken up on the eve of the elections. Dalits are watching too. When it comes to infighting within the NDA, it is an internal matter, ”he added.
The BJP MLC and former union minister Sanjay Paswan called the Manjhi-Chirag confrontation “a generational issue.” “(The fight) is not between Manjhi and Ram Vilas Paswan. Bihar is on the threshold of generational change and that may give Chirag an advantage, who wants to shape his policy in a new way, but NDA will be the ultimate winner, “he added.
.
