Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah made scathing remarks against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad during the Pichda-Ati Pichda Mahasammelan (Backward-Extremely Backward Conference) organised by the OBC (Other Backward Class) Morcha of the party at Patna’s Paliganj on March 9.
“Lalu Prasad ji can never do any welfare work for the Backward and Extremely Backward Classes; he can only do one work and that is grabbing their land. I want to warn RJD that once again a double-engine government has come into power in Bihar and the land mafia would be punished,” Mr. Shah said while addressing the gathering.
He further asserted that the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government will form a committee to investigate cases in which land of poor people has been grabbed. Mr. Shah said those found guilty would be sent to jail.
Mr. Shah also accused the RJD and Congress for neglecting Karpoori Thakur, who was recently awarded the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award by the Centre.
“The Congress and Lalu Prasad were in power in Centre for many years but never gave him respect. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji gave Bharat Ratna to Jan Nayak [People’s Leader] Karpoori Thakur ji who was the messiah of the EBCs,” Mr. Shah said.
The jostling among the ruling and Opposition parties in Bihar to be recognised as successors of Thakur’s legacy in the run-up to the general election could be seen in the context of the recently held caste survey in the State.
According to the survey, Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) comprised the single biggest chunk of Bihar’s population at around 36%, followed by the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) at 27%, and the General Category at 15%. Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) were found to comprise 19.6% and 1.6% of the total population respectively.
He also alleged that the Congress and Mr. Prasad only “gave respect to their own family members” and humiliated OBCs and EBCs.
“The only motive of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is to make her son Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister and the only motive of Lalu Prasad is to make his son Tejsahwi Yadav the Chief Minister of Bihar. Only Modi ji and BJP can look after the welfare of Backward and Extremely Backward Classes. The Congress and Lalu Prasad always humiliated these classes,” Mr. Shah said.
The BJP is trying hard make inroads among the EBC and OBC electorate, who are crucial for both the ruling and Opposition alliances. Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha seats, and in 2019, the NDA comprising the BJP, Janata Dal (United), and the then Lok Janshakti Party won 39 while the Mahagathbandhan - comprising the Congress, RJD and CPI - won just one.
He also recalled the work of the Centre which included removal of Article 370 and inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He also reminded the crowd how the then Chief Minister Lalu Prasad had stopped the Rath Yatra of L. K. Advani in Bihar.
Mr. Shah charged the Congress party with delaying the report of the Kakasaheb Kalelkar Commission which was set up to investigate the condition of socially and educationally backward classes. He also accused former Prime Minister, the late Indira Gandhi, of keeping the Mandal Commission report in cold storage. He did not spare her son and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi too, blaming him for opposing reservation in the Parliament during a debate.
Praising the people of Bihar, Mr. Shah said that the BJP has always won a good number of Lok Sabha seats in the State, such as the 31 seats it bagged in 2014 and 39 in 2019. He urged people to ensure that the NDA won all 40 Lok Sabha seats this time around.
Many senior leaders of the party including Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha were present on the dais apart from local Patliputra MP Ram Kripal Yadav.
