Revival of socialist politics in Bihar?

By Our Special Correspondent

PATNA, JAN. 26. Following its division, Bihar is caught in the throes of political maneuvering almost reviving the Socialist brand of politics with the late Karpoori Thakur as the apostle to the utter discomfiture of the BJP.

The fractured forces of the once Janata Party have, indeed, come a long way from their commitment to Sampoorna Kranti of Lok Nayak, Jaya Prakash Narayan, and Ram Manohar Lohia, the doyen of socialism, in the country, in seeking out the two-time Chief Minister of Bihar to shape their political perspective.

A series of functions were held, as never before, to celebrate the veteran socialist's birth anniversary on Wednesday. If the late Karpoori Thakur was remembered and revered even by those who rebelled against him, it was at the cost of the NDA and the BJP. The leaders of the BJP's allies washed their dirty linen in public. And if that were not enough, the BJP's distress stood exposed with its leaders joining the chorus in espousing the ideals propounded by Thakur.

Those who took center-stage at separate functions were the RJD supreme, Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav, and an array of Union Ministers most of whom minced no words in speaking out against each other.

Among the Union Ministers present were the Defence Minister and Samata Party leader, Mr. George Fernandes, the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr. Nitish Kumar, the Telecommunications Minister and the Lok Janshakti president, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, the Union Civil Aviation Minister and Janata Dal president, Mr. Sharad Yadav, and the Union Sports Minister and BJP leader, Ms. Uma Bharati.

Mr. Kumar shared the dais with Mr. Fernandes and Mr. Sharad Yadav separately. Mr. Paswan was at the receiving end at the two meetings. Mr. Paswan was not forgiving. It could not have been a mere coincidence that Ms. Uma Bharati was present at Mr. Paswan's meeting despite being aware of the tussle among the leaders of the constituents of the NDA.

Is her presence a reflection of the BJP's stance in the ongoing war of words between these leaders? Irrespective of this, for sure, her presence betrays the BJP's dilemma in a State such as Bihar, where the Mandal fort has proved quite impregnable.

While the protagonists of the present disagreement are still in their preparatory mode for the final assault, the war of nerves has however claimed its first toll in the form of the BJP. Ms. Bharati of all persons sought to disassociate herself from the Ram Mandir campaign and laid emphasis on the uplift of the extremely backward castes. It may well be a signal of the BJP's compromise on the issue as it had failed to cut ice in the State.

Through her statement, Ms. Bharati underscored that the Mandal- oriented politics had not waxed and this time round the BJP does not want to lag behind in wooing the extremely backward castes which roughly constitute 32 per cent of the electorate in Bihar.

But only to an extent. Because each had his limitations on this front and no less because their main priorities were different. While it was not surprising that both Mr. Sharad Yadav and Mr. Nitish Kumar went hammer and tongs after Mr. Paswan a few had expected Mr. Fernandes to lend his support to the cause.

Mr. Fernandes expressed his concern over the alleged outbursts of Mr. Paswan against Mr. Kumar on issues, which were decided at the cabinet level and regarded the same as violative of democratic norms for a person to do so while holding office. He once again seemed to throw his weight behind Mr. Kumar in the face for the mantle to polarise `anti-Laloo' votes.

Mr. Nitish Kumar went to the extent of threatening to take the matter to the NDA's court. Mr. Paswan's only consolation was that Ms. Bharati advocated his candidature for the post of Prime Minister. She said that she wanted the dream of the father of the nation to see a `Dalit' as a Prime Minister to come true.

Mr. Laloo Yadav exposed the limitations of these leaders on the issue while projecting himself as the true champion of the extremely backward castes and as the heir to Mr. Thakur's legacy. Pointing out that the BJP had opposed the mandal-oriented reservations for the backward castes by raising the mandir issue. Mr. Yadav maintained that these NDA leaders had no right to celebrate the birth anniversary of Karpoori Thakur.

The RJD leader charged that the alleged communal forces were once again trying to divide the backward castes as part of the `divide and rule' strategy. He wondered why the Kamandal-oriented people had skipped the `Mauni Amawasya Snan' at Sangam and arrived here to take a dip in the Karpoori Thakur Kumbh.

Stressing that the Karpoori Thakur reservation formula for separate reservations for backward castes and extremely backward castes was in force in Bihar, Mr. Yadav said that the onus was on the NDA leaders to have the same implemented at the national level if they were committed to the uplift of the extremely backward castes. He said that the Rabri Devi Government was committed to ensure reservation to the extremely backward castes at the grass-root level once the matter was cleared at the level of the Supreme Court.

Mr. Yadav maintained that the panchyat elections were to be held without separate reservations for the backward castes in the light of the Patna High Court decision, but promised that fresh elections would be conducted once the Supreme Court handed down a favourable ruling.

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