Guest guest Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 >Sun, 27 Feb 2005 12:22:46 -0800 > >FOR BIHAR'S SAKE GO! >Navin Upadhyay/ New Delhi >The Pioneer >February 28, 2005 > >ACROSS STATE, VOTERS TELL LALU... ------ An era has come to an end in Indian >politics. The people of Bihar have finally woken up from the spell of a Pied >Piper called Lalu Prasad, who, for 15 years kept them hooked to the hollow >tunes of social justice and secularism. > > >The self-proclaimed doctor of Bihar's malaise is now a lonely man, who will >desperately look for a hard dose of political prescription to live through the >nightmare of life without power. Lalu Prasad may still boast he is a claimant >to the seat of power, but there are no two opinions that even though Bihar has >not thrown a clear winner, Lalu Prasad is certainly the certified loser. > >The end was quick. In less than two hours, the suspense had ended. As the early >trend crystallised into results, it became clear that voters of Bihar had risen >over caste and communal consideration to chastise the Rabri regime for driving >the state back into the dark ages, aptly symbolised by RJD's lantern. > >Few would have accepted a self-obsessed man like Mr Lalu Yadav to be graceful in >the hours of reckoning, and accept the voter's verdict with humility. Even >though the RJD slipped to an all-time historic low and was confined to around >75 seats, Mr Yadav continues to preposterously interpret that the verdict of >Bihar was for the installation of a secular government, which could only be led >by the RJD. Mr Yadav conveniently forgets that the Bihar poll was fought on the >theme of 'Lalu hatao,' and voters had rejected his gameplan for religious or >caste mobilisation. > >The outcome proves that Lalu was rejected all-round. His Chief Minister wife >Rabri Devi trailed for the better part of the counting before she managed to >retain her Raghopur seat, a Yadav stronghold. But unlike the 2000 Assembly >poll, her margin was much reduced, a clear indication that even Lalu's own clan >was deeply disenchanted with him. Similarly, Lalu Prasad's numerous stalwarts >lost badly, some times even at the hands of smaller parties and independents. > >The regional analysis clearly shows that Lalu Prasad was trounced even in the >heartland of Mandal politics, the Yadav's domain of Koshi belt, and performed >equally miserably in the Muslim-dominated areas of Simanchal. The message was >very clear: "Bihar wanted to see the end of the lantern age". > >Few will shed tears over the demise of Lalu's empire. The Raja had been a big >let down. > >For over a decade-and-half he did nothing but pat his back for giving his >subjects a "voice". In the name of 'social engineering', he brazenly engaged in >the machination of `divide and rule'. He also introduced another element into >the Indian politics - conspiracy of backwardness. > >Development was something that would benefit only the well-to-do; roads were >meant for wealthy car owners; why harp about electricity when you have Lalu's >lantern; and why despair over floods when it brought shoals of fish at your >doorstep? Keep the subjects illiterate so that they were clueless about a world >beyond Laluland, where things were different from the Jungle Raj of Bihar. > >So destroy all educational infrastructure, schools, colleges and institutions. >The whiff of change wafting across the nation should not touch Bihar. That had >been Lalu's mantra for 15 years. > >But the cookie has finally crumbled. > >Voters called Lalu's bluff. People of Bihar realised how enormous a cost they >paid for not seeing through his designs in time. The anti-Lalu wave that swept >the RJD out of power had an all-inclusive character. If Lalu has not suffered a >more humiliating defeat it is because there was no clear alternative before the >voters in a triangular contest. > >The writing was all along clear on the wall even before the final verdict came. >Reporting from Bihar has always been tricky business because Lalu had proved >the media wrong on several occasions in this past. But this time Lalu's silent >voters were vocal in their disapprobation. They did not mince words in >condemning the Rabri regime for all-round chaos and anarchy. Lawlessness also >became a major issue for the voters. With kidnapping and extortion becoming a >flourishing cottage industry, there was hardly any family which was not >affected by the alarming state of law and order, directly or indirectly. > >But more than anything else, it was the sense of acute betrayal which turned the >traditional Lalu supporters against him. They genuinely felt that the RJD >supremo exploited their sentiments for his own political ends. In the final >analysis, Lalu Prasad did not lose so much because of the Opposition onslaught >but because his own `dabe kuchle aaam admi' revolted against him. On the >political chessboard of Bihar, Lalu's own pawns joined hands with the rival's >pieces to checkmate his queen Rabri Devi. > >BIHAR >- 243 > >BJP =36 >JD(U)= 57 >INC = 10 >LJP = 28 >RJD = 75 >CPI/ CPM = 04 >NCP =03 >IND/Others = 30 > >Jharkhand >- 81 > >BJP = 30 >JD(U) = 06 >INC = 09 >JMM = 17 >RJD = 07 >IND = 12 > >Haryana >- 90 > >BJP = 02 >INC = 67 >INLD = 09 >BSP = 01 >NCP = 01 >IND/Others = 10 > > > > >------------------------------- >This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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