North India Statesman
News India Live, Digital Desk: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been in action mode since coming out of jail. Recently he reached Bihar and started campaigning for Tejashwi Yadav. As soon as the pictures of the two young leaders and the news of sharing the stage came out, there was a stir in politics from Delhi to Patna.
BJP seized this opportunity and launched a strong attack on the opposition. BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya has made a sharp comment about this Hemant-Tejashwi pairing, which has set a new narrative for Bihar elections.
What did Amit Malviya say?
Amit Malviya has put Hemant Soren, Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi in the same dock. He said that these three leaders have three things in common:
- All three are dynastic (familism): All three are carrying forward the legacy of their respective political families.
- All three face serious corruption charges: Malviya reminded that Hemant Soren is out on bail on land scam charges, Tejashwi Yadav is accused of land-for-jobs scam and Rahul Gandhi is also on bail in the National Herald case.
- All three have to save their families: BJP alleges that these leaders have come together not for the public, but to save their families and themselves from corruption cases.
Malaviya called it ‘Club of corrupt princes’ Stating that the people of Bihar understand them well and will reject them in the elections.
What is BJP’s strategy?
Hemant Soren’s campaign for Tejashwi was an opportunity to show an image for the INDIA alliance, but BJP has used it as a weapon to corner the opposition on the issue of corruption. BJP is trying to show that all the opposition leaders, who are accused of corruption, are supporting each other to hide their respective ‘thefts’.
This attack may prove to be decisive in the direction of Bihar elections. Now the battle will be fought not only on development issues but also on ‘who is so honest’. On one hand, while Tejashwi and Hemant will attack BJP in their rallies, on the other hand, BJP will repeatedly remind the public about the scams these leaders standing on the stage are involved in. It will be interesting to see how the people of Bihar react to this politics of ‘allegations and counter-allegations’.
