Author: V. Gangadhar
Publication: The Free Press Journal
Date: January 25, 2005
URL: http://www.samachar.com/features/270105-features.html
Bihar, in Indian politics, is a
five letter word. The media talks about the lawless society of the state
or the jungle law, which, in fact, is an insult to the animals of the jungle.
We are now told that kidnapping has become an industry in the state and
was worth Rs 50 crores. The latest sorry episode in Bihar was the kidnapping
of a public school student which aroused the ire of the entire student
community. Doctors struck work in Bihar when several of them were kidnapped
and held for ransom. Engineers and social activists fell victims to the
vicious contractors' lobbies which did not want outsiders enter the state.
Policemen were either corrupt or brutal. Powerful political leaders like
Pappu Yadav, though behind bars, held their own darbars despite strictures
from the Supreme Court of India. Hundreds were being regularly killed in
caste wars.
This is Bihar which once upon a
time had a rich tradition and culture. Even today, it abounded in natural
wealth and minerals. Industries which were set up never took off. `Bihari'
has now become a word of contempt to the rest of India. As the state prepared
to go to the polls early next month, we wonder what was in store for its
people. Will the poor in Bihar vote for a government which would help them
come out of their present state of degradation? Can there ever be normal
law and order situation in Bihar?
This is a problem which had to be
faced squarely by two of the leading national political parties in the
country, the Congress and the BJP. For nearly 15 years, the state of Bihar
had been ruled by the Rashtriya Janata Dal whose maverick chief, Lalu Prasad
had appointed his wife, Rabri Devi to function as the official Chief Minister
while ruling the state through remote control. He is also the Union Minister
for Railways at the Centre and his party is one of the major constituents
of the ruling coalition.
It is strange but true that in the
February elections neither the Congress nor the BJP will be major players
in the second largest state in the country. That honour went to the RJD
and the Janata Dal (U) whose political philosophy no one knew or cared.
While the Congress had aligned with the RJD, the BJP had cast its fortune
with the Dal.
The Congress while ruled India for
nearly 50 years after independence had to acknowledge certain bitter facts.
It was a tired, spent force in the all important Hindi belt where its fortunes
were at an all time low. In the major state of UP, the Congress was ranked
fourth behind the Samajwadi party, the Bahuguna Samaj Party and the BJP.
It had no visible presence in MP and Rajastan. In Bihar it had been hanging
on to the coat tails of Lalu's RJD, in the process of swallowing the humiliation
heaped upon it.
This became obvious during the allotment
of seats among the RJD and its poll allies. Lalu Prasad Yadav, obviously
stung by the fact that his party was sidelined by the Congress and the
Jharkand Mukti Morcha in the allotment seats for the assembly elections,
hit back offering just 25 seats to the Congress in Bihar. It was a straightforward,
`Take it or leave it' offer and the Congress had to accept it. Of course,
it hopes to contest a total of 80 seats though many of them would be `friendly
fights' with its partner, the RJD.
How can the Congress put up with
such humiliation in Bihar? The fact is simple, the Congress had lost its
roots in the cow belt. It had no popular leaders either. The traditional
vote banks of the Congress which covered the Muslims and the Dalits had
been taken by the RJD. Since the Congress had not been in power for more
than a decade, it could not do anything to win back the confidence of the
people.
Also, the Congress, nor for that
matter the BJP, had an answer to the political shrewdness of Lalu Prasad
Yadav. For the urban elite, he was some kind a sick joke with his constant
pan chewing, broken English and bizarre actions on the political field.
Behind this facade, functioned a political brain which rightly assessed
the mood of Bihar and its people. The poor masses not only in Bihar but
all over India, did not expect any immediate solutions to their monumental
problems. But they wanted some kind of attention, an assurance that the
leadership was aware of these and had some sympathy for them. In most cases,
the leaders could not even provide these. Among the national leaders, the
presence of Sonia Gandhi, often acted as a balm to the wounds of the masses
in the country. She was the beacon of hope for the Congress for the entire
nation.
But in states like Bihar, the Sonia
magic was less effective against the charisma of the local hero, Lalu Prasad.
For them, Sonia Gandhi promised something, but she was a goddess operating
from distant Delhi. She could not be expected to be in Bihar all the time
and solve the problems of the state. This was where Lalu scored. For the
people of Bihar, he was one of them. He talked their language, ate the
same kind of food and promised some kind of a better future.
While Bihar was comparatively free
from communal strife, it was the hotbed of caste politics and violence,
with the lower castes getting the worst of it. Though, Lalu Prasad was
unable to prevent most of the massacres,he was often at the site of the
killings, promising help to those affected and assuring that such incidents
did not occur again. For the illiterate, ignorant masses, these gestures
were enough. Of course, caste conflicts continued and Lalu played his role
yet again.
Along with UP Chief Minister, Mulayam
Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav, had usurped the role of the Congress as
the saviour of the Muslims. In every television interview or media contacts,
the Railway Minister talked of `secularism' and how he stood for it. Bihari
Muslims believed him. He was their messiah. Often, his gestures went beyond
Bihar. He was the most vociferous critic of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra
Modi who was clearly behind the communal riots in the state and had little
respect for leaders like Atal Behari Vajpayee or L K Advani, often trashing
them in public. And Lalu being Lalu got away with issues which other political
leaders could not.
As the Railay Minister, he had to
institute yet another enquiry into the burning of the Godhra train carnage
and also release the interim report of the Banerjee commission just before
the Bihar assembly election. The BJP can shout from the housetops and protest
to the Election Commission, but Lalu had proved his point once more, that
he was the true saviour of the minorities.
The Congress had no strategy to
compete with Lalu Prasad. Will the RJD be a victim of the anti-incumbency
factor in the forthcoming polls? This is hard to say because the BJP is
a fading force in the state and JD(U) had nothing definite to offer to
the people. And don't forget the fact that Lalu on the campaign trail could
be devastating. Well, the Congress should grin and bear it and thank heavens
they were on the same side of the maverick leader.
Many of the urban elite saw only
the comic side of Lalu Prasad. This would be missing the gist of the man
who really understood the masses and the philosophy that even if you could
not help them much, at least be with them and share their sorrows. The
homilies of Lalu went straight to their hearts, more than the couplets
of an Atalji.
