The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has devised a comprehensive strategy to counter Lalu Prasad Yadav and the RJD alliance in the upcoming Bihar elections. Capitalizing on the issue of alleged disrespect towards Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the BJP is attempting to inflict political damage on Yadav, employing his own ‘social justice’ platform against him. The party has deployed three central ministers from the OBC and backward classes to spearhead this initiative.
The BJP is fully prepared to ensnare Lalu Yadav, once a champion of social justice, within his own framework. The BJP is heavily leveraging the alleged mistreatment of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s image during RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav’s birthday. The party aims to disseminate this issue across Bihar’s villages before the November assembly elections.
A video purportedly showing Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s image placed near the feet of Lalu Prasad Yadav on June 11, during his birthday celebrations, has gone viral. The Bihar BJP has been raising this issue for several days, including a press conference in Patna by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
The Bihar State Scheduled Castes Commission has issued a notice to Lalu Yadav, demanding clarification on the matter and asking why action should not be taken against him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Seeing the issue gain momentum, three Union Ministers, Bhupender Yadav, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Arjun Ram Meghwal, representing the OBC and Dalit communities, were brought in. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, present in Patna, condemned the incident, stating that neither Bihar nor the nation would forgive Lalu Prasad Yadav and the RJD for this disrespect towards Ambedkar.
Union Minister Bhupender Yadav criticized Lalu Prasad Yadav for remaining silent on the matter, asserting that the people of Bihar have not forgotten his rule and the atrocities against Dalits and backward communities. He demanded an apology. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, also from the Dalit community, joined the chorus and demanded an apology from Lalu Yadav. Furthermore, former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also demanded a public apology from Yadav.
The BJP intends to escalate the issue further. Party sources indicate that Janak Ram, a Dalit minister in the Bihar government, will meet Governor Arif Mohammad Khan to seek an apology or legal action against Lalu Yadav for the alleged insult to Ambedkar.
According to sources, the BJP will take the issue of Ambedkar’s insult to the mandal level across Bihar. They plan to burn effigies of Lalu Yadav at district and mandal levels and organize protests. These demonstrations will be led by the Bihar BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha. The BJP’s strategy, using OBC leaders and Union Ministers to attack Lalu Yadav, aims to severely challenge his social justice platform.