Bihar: Facing People’s Ire, 6-Time BJP MP Projects Himself ‘Modi ke Mandir ka Pujari’ to Seek Votes

Patna: Nearly a dozen incumbent MPs of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party- National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are seeking re-election this time in Bihar, and have been facing angry protests during their campaign. This is widely being seen as growing anger against NDA candidates and a sign of anti-incumbency against the BJP-led Central government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Unlike the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the top leadership of BJP and its major ally Janata Dal-United, has fielded most of the sitting MPs, all old faces, and have replaced only few.

Modi, the BJP star campaigner and main face of NDA, has been trying to minimise the anger factor with his vigorous campaign, repeatedly seeking votes for these candidates. But, nothing seems to be working on the ground because these candidates are facing the heat of people’s anger, if reports in local Hindi dailies and YouTube news channels are to be believed. People have been questioning the absence of these MPs from their constituencies, their failure to fulfill the promises made, and their work during the past five years.

Facing angry people and their questions during his election campaign, former Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh, the incumbent BJP MP from Purvi Champaran, has been apologising for his mistakes and requesting people to vote for him as he is a “priest of Modi's temple”.

Singh, who is also a six-times BJP MP, has been appealing to people not to punish Modi for his misdeeds. "Please vote for me, do not vote against me as it will go against Modiji," he has been saying.

The soft-spoken former Union minister, in his mid-70s, has also been repeatedly telling people in election meetings: "Main to Modi ke mandir ka pujari hun, mere se galti hui hai, lekin meri galti ki saza Modi ko mat dijiye"

There are reports of protests against him at several places with people questioning his failure to fulfill promises made by him during the past 10 to 15 years.

To pacify people, Singh, a seasoned politician, has changed his vote-seeking style this time. "I am a priest of the Modi temple like a priest of a village temple, my work is to conduct rituals, offer prayers and take care of cleanliness and distribute prasad to all," he said.

In his campaign, Singh has also been claiming that Modi is a devpurush (god-like), as he hardly fell ill in last 10 years.

The other incumbent BJP MP who is facing people’s ire is Griraj Singh, another former Union minister, who seeking re-election from Begusarai. He well known for his muscular championing of Hindutva politics and controversial statements against Muslims and Pakistan.

Yet another incumbent BJP MP facing people's wrath is Ravi Shankar Prasad, another former Union minister, who is seeking re-election from Patna Saheb. PM Modi even held a road show in Patna on May 12 night and seeking votes for him. This was widely seen as an attempt to minimise the anger against him.

Gopal Thakur, an incumbent BJP MP from Darbhanga, too has faced a lot of protest and anger during his election campaign.
 

There are at least half a dozen incumbent BJP MPs who are facing angry people during their campaign.

BJP's ally JD-U's incumbent MP from Jehanabad seat, Chandeshwar Chandarwanshi, is also facing public anger, while former JD-U president Lalan Singh, and incumbent MP from Munger, has had to face repeated embarrassment during campaign when people asked him to explain the list of work done by him during the past 10 years.

Even a new BJP face in Buxar parliamentary constituency Mithilesh Tiwary, has been facing angry farmers who staged a long protest (500-day) demanding compensation for land acquisition for a power plant. Farmers are unhappy over refusal of the BJP led Central government to concede their demands. BJP fielded Tiwary by denying a party ticket to Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who is unhappy and has distanced from the election campaign in Buxar.

Though NDA leaders, mainly top BJP leaders, are claiming that they will win all 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, this sounds a tall order, going by the visible mood on the ground.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP-led NDA won 39 out of Bihar's 40 seats. The Congress won the Kishanganj seat. The Rashtriya Janata Dal did not win a single seat.

This time ,the fight is direct between the ruling NDA and the Opposition Mahagathbandhan, and the dominant view among people is that the battle will be tough on most seats.

The BJP is contesting 17 seats, the JD-U 16 seats and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) five seats. Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Upendar Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha are contesting one seat each.

The RJD is contesting 23 of 40 Lok Sabha seats, its ally, the Congress nine seats, the Left parties five seats and the Vikassheel Insaan Party three seats.