Bihar’s inescapable politics over Muslim votes threw up an open mud-slinging game between the ruling JD(U) and the main Opposition party, RJD, on Tuesday as they competed to project themselves as the genuine well-wishers of the state’s 1.36 crores Muslims.
Mohammad Abu Talib Rehmani, chairman of the JD(U)’s Bihar minority cell, joined the RJD along with several Muslim leaders of the ruling party a day after the cell was dissolved by JD(U) Bihar president Vijay Chaudhary. RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav personally welcomed Mr Rahmani into his party at a ceremony at Patna’s Maurya Hotel and joined the Muslim leader in verbosely painting JD(U) stalwart and chief minister Nitish Kumar as a “fake secularist and cheat”.
While Mr Rahmani claimed he quit the JD(U) in protest against Mr Kumar’s rejection of his demand for party tickets to at least 25 Muslim candidates in the Assembly polls, JD(U) leaders alleged that Mr Rahmani had been collecting money from Muslim politicians with the promise of getting them tickets from the ruling party. “Nitish Kumar made it clear to me that he wants only voiceless Muslims. I quit because I hated to keep my community hostage to his designs. After he brought no Muslim leader into the JD(U)’s parliamentary board and nominated no Muslim leader to the Rajya Sabha and the Bihar Legislative Council, my patience broke when he rejected my demand for 25 party tickets to Muslim leaders,” said Mr Rahmani.
Mr Yadav, endorsing Rahmani’s claims, said, “How could have Nitish Kumar agreed to Rahmani’s demand for 25 tickets to Muslims when the RSS and the Sangh Parivar are at work on him?”