BJP TODAY

September 16--30, 2005 - Vol. 14, No. 18

Time to teach
Sonia-Lalu-Paswan
a lesson

It is again an election foisted on the unwilling people of Bihar. It is an example how a State or a nation can be made to pay for the sins of others. It is the coterie of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, her handpicked Governor Shri Buta Singh and Shri Lalu Yadav who together with the direct or indirect support of Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, conspired to thwart the verdict of the people Acting against the spirit of the Constitution they dissolved Bihar assembly, which had not yet met even for a day. This luxury of another elections is costing the backward State very dearly, at least another Rs. 500 crores to the State exchequer, which should otherwise have been spent on development. There is no doubt that one day Shri Buta Singh will have to pay for the illegalities he committed by behaving like a Congressman and making the august office of governor a laughing stock of the nation. The Congress and Shri Lalu Yadav too will not be able to escape the wrath of the people.

Since February 2005 Bihar is facing a trauma of the aftermath of elections. Another elections in the same year means that rulers at the Centre think that except for shouting and voting in elections, the people of Bihar have nothing worthwhile to do. During the next three months it will again be under the grip of election fever and, therefore, courtesy Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Shri Lalu Yadav and Governor Shri Buta Singh the development of the State will remain at standstill during this period too. The already backward Bihar which saw no light of development during the last 15 long years of Lalu-Rabri rule will lose another year of development. A year is not too short a period in the life of a State. This loss cannot be made good, at least in the circumstances prevailing there.

Fed up with their lot the people had thrown down the dustbin the RJD's Rabri regime. But Governor Buta Singh insulted the will of the people. Shri Ram Vilas Paswan is another villain of the piece. He does boast to be a votary of democracy but on the eve of elections this time he is again trying to appease the Muslim constituency by insisting on a Muslim chief minister. He forgets that in democracy it is the right of the MLAs elected by the people to chose their leader and not the right of Shri Paswan to impose his will as to who should be the chief minister. What he is doing is exactly a negation of the principles of democracy. For him communalism and secularism have no meaning as long it serves his political and electoral purpose. Does he not know that by making an appeal to one community of voters, that is Muslims, he is indulging in the worst form of communalism? And the interesting part is that he still boasts to be a 'secular' leader. By doing so he is insulting communities other than Muslims and championing injustice to them. Can those who enter into an electoral alliance with him be sincere and honest to the voters? The Muslim community is not a fool yet Shri Paswan is certainly trying to make a fool of them with his pranks. Gimmicks being played by Shri Ram Vilas Paswan not only undermine democracy but also make it weak and hollow.

Shri Paswan played Dalit and Muslim card last time too. But it did not work to his advantage. The Muslim community saw through his game that his newfound love for them is nothing more than an election ploy. That was the reason why the people did not make successful even a single Muslim candidate put up by Shri Paswan's LJP. Giving Bihar a Muslim chief minister is in the hands of the people and not Shri Ram Vilas Paswan. But he can certainly redeem his pledge by himself stepping down as national President of LJP in favour of a Muslim if he is such a great benefactor of Muslims. This will make his professions credible. If he doesn't, that only shows that the promise to give Bihar a Muslim chief minister is only a ploy to hoodwink the Muslim community. In reality, he wishes to keep the strings of power in his hands.

The only redeeming feature and welcome aspect of the coming Bihar elections is the opportunity people are getting to once again assert their authority and teach a lesson to all those who contrived to negate their mandate. All those in the Congress, Shri Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan who ganged up and are now stoking the fires of casteism and reducing to ashes the sense of nationalism in their lust for political power are sure to be at the receiving end. Prizing those who inject the poison of hatred in the family, society and nation is nothing less than a crime against the nation. Congress already stands sidelined in the electoral politics in the State. No miracle can save its sinking boat in the coming elections. From what it says and the way it behaves, it appears, Congress is not interested in bettering the lot of the people of Bihar but only in the continuance of the present atmosphere of lawlessness, political instability and immorality. It wishes to fish its political stability at the Centre in the troubled waters of Bihar.

The Election Commission did not want the electoral process in Bihar to extend to that long a period of about two months. But it was left with no other alternative. In fact, the immoral alliance of Shri Lalu Yadav, Shri Buta Singh, and Congress is responsible for the present reign of terror and lawlessness in the State. Faced with the reality of the prevailing conditions of law and order in which the Chief Secretary and Director-General of Police feel handicapped to dare arrest an MP charged with serious crimes, EC had to stagger the electoral process to four phases to ensure free and fair elections.

The election is also a challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janta Dal (United) alliance. They have to work out their winning strategy without losing any time. If they succeed, no wonder people will give them a big hand to rid themselves of the Lalu-Rabri jungle raj and thwart the conspiracies of those trying to make a fool of the people of Bihar through dubious means and hollow allurements.