Ahmedabad, 5 June 2013

This Hindustan Times piece says: One could argue that Modi has won in Bihar too. Lalu Prasad’s RJD won the lone Lok Sabha, defeating the JD(U) candidate who contested with BJP support amid growing friction between the two allies. How is it a victory for Modi? JD(U)-BJP friction is rooted in Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s disapproval of Modi as PM candidate. Ever since Nitish took a hostile posturing towards the BJP, the upper castes in Bihar have become restive.The huge margin by which Nitish’s candidate lost – who himself is an upper caste Bhumihar – is indicative of Bihar’s political wind. In fact, the JD(U) candidate blamed the BJP for his defeat. RJD won the by-election, but in case the BJP, JD(U), Congress and RJD contest separately in 2014, situation could be different.

Then there’s this piece in which Bihar health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey says:Unsavory comments on Narendrabhai by the JD (U) leaders apparently alienated the voters from Sahiji and became a major factor for his defeat.In same article BJP national vice-president Dr CP Thakur has been quoted as saying that the ‘unnecessary controversy’ created by the JD (U) leadership over Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s candidature for primeministership confused the electorates, who went against Sahi.BJP leader Giriraj Singh, who is the animal husbandry minister in the Nitish Kumar cabinet, advised the NDA leaders to introspect and think why the development plank clicked in Narendra Modi’s Gujarat, and failed in Bihar.”Why have the minority voters enthusiastically supported the BJP in Gujarat, but they did not do the same in the case of the JD (U) nominee in Bihar?”, he asked adding, “It is also a matter of introspection.”

And there are reports in various Delhi based media that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi ignored Bihar counterpart during the national meet on internal security. Modi didn’t give a look at Nitish and didn’t take notice of his presence at all.

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