Ajay Kumar Singh
Venturing out into an unknown territory when you rely on your compass, it indicates you the North. And if its dark and you have no compass at hand, your only guide is that brightest North Star. The Indian Political compass has always been affected by this phenomena.
And in this case the ‘Brightest North Stars’ have always been Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Together with 120 seats in the lower house, these two north states are set to decide the next prime minister of India.
Since BJP came into power at the centre, the landscape of regional Indian politics has changed.
In 2017, the regional parties in Uttar Pradesh bore the brunt of this changed landscape that resulted in a complete annihilation of SP and BSP.
But this same ‘Modi Wave’ fell completely flat in the 2015 Bihar Assembly Elections.
In the 2015 elections, Rashtriya Janata Dal emerged out as the single largest with 81 seats, 59 more than the previous elections. And the then ally Janata Dal (United) won 70 seats, 45 less than the previous elections.
The mandate was clear and overwhelming. Bihar has always been the one of the leading state when it comes to producing civil servants, doctors and engineers! The reason for this is that we understand what is actually a fact and what is fake. The ‘Modi Wave’ which is full of lies, false claims and deceit was easily recognized for what it was by the people of Bihar and was rejected completely.
All this was made possible because of the sheer devotion and brilliance of one man. Lalu Prasad Yadav has been serving the people of Bihar since 1970, ever since he emerged as a student leader in his college days. His wife took the same path and so did his children.
The sheer will and devotion to do good for the people of Bihar resulted in a massive victory for the RJD and their “ally”. Government was formed, ministries were allotted and despite of being the single largest party of Bihar, Lalu chose to trust his “friend” to take care of his beloved state.
His trust in the current chief minister of Bihar was brutally paid back when former CM Lalu Yadav Bihar was shunted out and sent to jail.
The Jokihat By-poll result, the latest and face-slapping victory of RJD on 31st May this year, was a reminder from the people of Bihar that their trust belong to RJD and now to the young people’s leader Tejashwi! He undoubtedly proved his Lalu-DNA of political acumen, of not only capable of springing surprises, but also of sustaining it. It was a direct fight with the former ally JDU which had won the seat in the last election. But now it is crushed to a non-entity, polling less than the convincing 40,000 victory margin of RJD. The salt in the wound was the fact that the sitting MLA of this seat left JDU when it ditched the Mahagathabandhan and joined RJD. Earlier in March, the RJD earlier fielded him in the by-poll to Araria Lok Sabha seat and defeated BJP by over 60,000 votes.
The capability of Tejashwi to lead from the front and sustain winning streak successively has shocked those who had taken him as a mere His-Father’s-Son. This is the 3rd victory under Tejashwi in 3 months, after imprisonment of Lalu and CBI raids. The March by-election saw Tejashwi commanding victories in Araria Lok Sabha and Jehanabad Assembly seats, 2 out of the 3, against the combined offensive of BJP & JDU, with advantage of their governments at the centre and the state. Those who thought the March victory of Tejashwi as a one-time-wonder have now come to acknowledge a formidable opponent in the unstoppable Tejashwi. And the recent confident assertion of Lalu’s philosophies by Tejashwi after the victory has forced the detractors to rethink their strategies.
The young leader has surrounded himself with like-minded, positive and experienced people. On 15th March 2018, Professor Manoj Jha was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from the state of Bihar. Before his appointment he was working as the head of the department of Social Work, University of Delhi.
Another close associate of Tejashwi Yadav is Sanjay Yadav. He is often referred to as the “brain booster” or the strategy master by the media. However as we know, when it comes to politics, good intentions and willing to serve the people are not enough to win elections. Proper strategy and a well thought of execution of the plans at the ground level is also required. That’s where Sanjay’s valuable inputs gives RJD an edge.
The recently concluded elections in the state of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Telangana and Chhattisgarh is a prime example of people’s intentions. BJP has been rejected everywhere. People of the country have stopped falling for religious traps. They want progress, and the same goes for my state! The 2019 elections is just months away. Its time we all stand together and fight evil with good, religious discourse with peace and “jumlebaazi” with real progress. And I am extremely sure that Tejashwi Yadav with his true intentions and ability to serve the people well, will turn the tables again, and people of Bihar will win.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NEWSD and NEWSD does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
