The BJP has been on the defensive ever since its parent organisation RSS’ chief Mohan Bhagwat advocated a review of the reservation policy on September 20. More so as the grand alliance has again succeeded, in taking the issue to the people in the remote villages as well, and as Manjhi admitted in an interview Monday this “has created pressure to explain and sometimes it becomes hard to do so”. “The Supreme Court has taken a decision that the quota limit should not cross 50 per cent”, Modi said.
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“We strongly oppose this and will make respresentation to the EC soon and raise this issue inside and outside Parliament”, Tyagi, flanked by Congress leader R P N Singh and eminent lawyer K T S Tulsi, told reporters. “They want to take away five per cent from the EBCs and Dalits and give it to a particular group for whom there is no provision for reservations in the Constitution”, or the reference to attempts in the past to have five per cent reservation for minorities. I will not allow this to happen. “I pledge to protect the rights of dalits, mahadalits and backwards”, he added. Initially, they tried to drive a wedge between Lalu and Nitish.
By his several schemes for girl students and women, the Bihar chief minister is apparently popular among them. He also asked how Kumar’s computers would work in Bihar without electricity.
Kumar questioned Modi for his silence on promises like bringing back black money from overseas, hike in MSP for farmers, youth employment, special status for Bihar among others.
“Your (Nitish’s) computers have “Lalu virus” which is venting out “Jungle raj”, crime, atrocities on women and kindappings”.
Modi claimed the large crowds at NDA rallies have left the grand alliance anxious and its leaders were now trying to “defame” him and taking to “mantra” and “tantra” (occultism).
Asking youths not to migrate, he said, “I have a six-point programme for Bihar’s development”. Will people with a mentality of the 18th century run the state?
The severity of unemployment can be gauged from the fact that only 5.9% people out of the 1.78 crore households in Bihar have salaried jobs, according to the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 data. He said that for progress, Bihar needed three sutras of power, water and proper roads.
It appeared, said Kumar, that the prime Minister has distanced himself from his development agenda. When a leader of Bihar came to deliver his speech, he started snubbing the mikewalla and said he will throw him on the ground.
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The EC’s direction had come after the grand alliance of Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), Lalu Prasad’s RJD and Congress had demanded a ban on Modi’s regular radio broadcast in which he shares his thoughts on a host of issues.
