Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the flood hit areas in Bihar on Saturday. Around 19 districts in the state are reported to be suffering from the consequences of heavy rainfall.
Though Modi claims the visit to be strictly related to monitoring the situations of the flood affected area in Bihar, the deeper motive behind the visit may be something else. His visit coincidently is just a day ahead of the mega rally of ‘BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao’ convened by RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav with an intention to show his opposition against BJP and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Lalu is organising an anti-BJP rally on 27 Aug and many opposition parties have accepted the invitation to attend the rally. This is being regarded as another step taken to give the opposition a platform to show their unanimous unity against BJP-led NDA government. Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls due in 2019 both the ruling BJP and the opposition parties have well in advanced started with the election campaigns. While BJP national party President Amit Shah is personally on tour across India to make strategies for the polls, Congress High Command Sonia Gandhi is also taking initiatives to unite the opposition under one roof and fight as one unit against BJP.
Although Lalu’s rally is also one of the opposition unity showcase programme, the success of this rally seems unlikely. With both Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi not attending the rally and also BSP Chief Mayawati chose to stay away from the show, the rally already seems to be a flop show. Lalu was asked to avoid his meeting regarding the flood situations in Bihar, however to this he had responded that the rally will not be postponed in any conditions. He stated that will the problems being faced due to the floods be immediately solved if he calls his rally off, or will the people bearing the consequences of floods be relieved?
This statement of Lalu may receive criticism and also may be a reason for the failure of his much publicised anti-BJP rally. People of Bihar has seen development under the Nitish government and now the new government in alliance with BJP is likely to get more financial help to the state. Therefore, the public would like to support the CM and the PM and welcome Modi’s visit which will be getting relief to the people rather than attending Lalu’s anti-BJP rally which will hold nothing but criticism against the BJP-led NDA government and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Another major aspect of Modi’s visit which is likely to benefit Bihar is that BJP is the ruling party at the centre and also is now an ally of JD(U) ruling at Bihar, hence the chances of the state getting instant help from the Centre has highly increased. Nitish and Modi will be sharing the stage for the first time in Bihar after Nitish Kumar breaking the grand alliance and joining hands with BJP to form the new government.
The Prime Minister after reaching Purnea on Saturday will be accompanied by Nitish. Both the leaders will then be visiting all the flood affected areas in the state.