‘We will strengthen Nitish’s hands, unite secular forces’

The Congress claims it is trying to be a “catalyst” to unite secular parties ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar. Both Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi will address a number of election rallies. But they may not share the stage with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) or RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, who are both allies in the Mahagatbandhan. The party says time constraints are to blame, and maintains that it is open to joint rallies. “Sonia Gandhi herself addressed the first election rally of the alliance in Patna along with other leaders. We have no problem in joint rallies,” Congress General Secretary and former President of the party’s Bihar unit Shakeel Ahmad told BusinessLine in an interview. He also spoke of the Congress’s strategy as a junior partner in the grand alliance. Excerpts:

The Congress is struggling to find its ground in Bihar. How different will this election be for the party?

We were in government till 1990. We were the major Opposition party between 1990 and 1995. We lost prominence after the emergence of Lalu Prasad. People were disenchanted with us especially during 85 to 90, particularly after the Bhagalpur riots. There were a number of issues – including communal polarisation – that pulled us down. Some leaders have left us. But by and large our cadre have remained with us. In today’s political scenario, we are not a very big political force. But we are playing the role of a catalyst in Bihar. To keep the secular forces united, you need the Congress at the Centre.

How do you plan to do that, particularly when the electorate is apparently divided on communal and caste lines?

We want to keep everyone together, irrespective of their caste and religion. Caste is a reality, not only in Bihar, but in other States too. Caste generally correlates with the profession.

The BJP tries to polarise along communal lines as it suits them. Congress wants to take every section of society along. We are a Welfare State. We want to continue affirmative action such as reservation. This will be our major focus.

What will be the Congress’ contribution to the manifesto as development is also a key issue?

Nitish Kumar has a very good reputation of being a fair, forward-looking and development-oriented Chief Minister. We will try to strengthen his hands. We will impress upon him to take every section of society along. For development, peace is paramount. Without peace, there will be no development. So law and order, healthcare, education for our future generations, employment for the youth and irrigation and other facilities to farmers will be our main focus.

Who faces anti-incumbency in Bihar – the 10-year-old Nitish government, or the 16-month-old Modi government?

In any democratic State, anti-incumbency will be a factor during elections. There may be some against Nitish Kumar too, especially after exiting the alliance with the BJP. But the anti-incumbency and general disenchantment against Modi government is so serious and so fast. Look at Ram Jethmalani’s statement that Modi and Jaitley cheated him on the issue of black money. Earlier, they had been saying that ₹50 lakh-crore of black money was stashed abroad.

Bihar may be economically backward, but the State is politically enlightened. People are disenchanted with Modi’s performance, particularly his role in taking away the rights of farmers. His government is working for select corporate houses like Adani. He has made himself vulnerable to criticism by making statements against political opponents on foreign soil.

Will the Dadri killing (of 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq) have a bearing on the Bihar electorate?

People of Bihar are alert. Any major incident at the national level will have implications in Bihar. People understand that such types of incidents are unfortunate. Fortunately, except for a few political bigots, the majority in the country has condemned the incident. This is a most positive thing. We should be on guard. It depends on the vision of the people of the State too. No one should take them for a ride. This incident should not vitiate the atmosphere in the State.

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