Lok Sabha elections in BIhar: Giriraj Singh finds Begusarai ‘bond’, looks for dividends

BEGUSARAI: The electoral temperature in this highly charged parliamentary constituency has started soaring since BJP candidate Giriraj Singh landed here on Friday. The firebrand Hindutva leader launched campaign in his own inimitable style against his rival and former JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar of CPI.
Given the strong political views of Giriraj and Kanhaiya, the contest is billed as a clash between two ideologies.RJD’s Tanveer Hassan, who had lost to BJP’s late Bhola Singh in 2014 general election by over 60,000 votes, is likely to make it a triangular contest. Begusarai would have polling in the fourth phase on April 29. The last date for filing of nomination papers is April 9.
Amid chanting of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ by his supporters, Giriraj first offered prayers at Simaria Kali Mandir and then met party workers and supporters at Begusarai. Kanhaiya has already hit the campaign trail with a group of JNU alumni as well as dalit leader Jignesh Mevani (MLA) from Gujarat.
Taking note of the Gujarat MLA’s campaigning for Kanhaiya, Giriraj tweeted, “What is Jignesh doing in Begusarai? Didn’t he thrash Biharis in Gujarat and troubled their sisters and mothers. Please ask this question to him (Jignesh), wherever you find him.”
Kanhaiya says Giriraj is no challenge to him. “He (Giriraj) is an outsider and I am a son of soil,” he told mediapersons and alleged that PM Narendra Modi was bent on eroding the Constitution. “I am in the fray for the restoration of constitutional values,” he added.
Giriraj countered Kanhaiya at his first election meeting as NDA nominee on Saturday. “My political identity belongs to Begusarai, a place with which I have been associated for almost 25 years. Anyway, I belong to Barahiya, but have deep social and cultural bonding with Begusarai.”
Alok Kumar, a local BJP worker, said Giriraj visited Kanhaiya’s village at Bihat on Friday to counter his charge that he was an “outsider”.
Both Giriraj and Kanhaiya were busy finalizing poll strategies. “For the last three days, the focus has been on finalizing poll strategy and to mobilize ground level workers. On Friday, there was a meeting of the CPI district committee. Kanhaiya was also present,” Amin Hamza of All India Students Federation (AISF) said, adding the campaign would get into full swing in the next couple of days. Prominent Left leaders, theatre artistes and celebrities, including lyricist Javed Akhtar and actor Shabana Azmi, are expected to campaign for Kanhaiya.
While the campaign is yet to gain momentum, observers have started airing their views. “Kanhaiya is an alumnus of JNU. He is also charged with a sedition case in the JNUSU incident. Given the present ground reality, RJD’s Tanveer Hassan is in contest and enjoys large local minority community support. Besides, he is popular in other segments of the local people,” said J P Sharma, associate professor of political science at local G D College. He called the Left parties “a spent force”.
But Zikrullah Khan, an assistant professor of economics at the same college, held a contrary view. “Kanhaiya is young and educated. Candidates like him would contribute to meaningful parliamentary debates. The minorities have been closely watching him. Besides, RJD has no future as Lalu is tainted and serving jail sentence,” he said.