Congress hopes to cash in on mismatch in Nitish media blitz and ground realities

Congress hopes to cash in on mismatch in Nitish media blitz and ground realities

NEW DELHI: As Congress looks to mark its presence in the Bihar elections due later this year, it is looking at whether a mismatch between the state government's media campaign and ground realities could make chief minister Nitish Kumar vulnerable to an "India Shining" trap.

With the party having decided that it would go it alone in Bihar without teaming up with the Lalu Prasad-Ramvilas Paswan duo, Congress is taking stock of what could be its line of attack. There is a feeling that the recent media blitz launched by the Bihar government smacks of NDA's ill-fated 2004 India Shining campaign.

While the JD(U)-BJP rule has been undoubtedly an improvement over Lalu raj, the claims made by the government may not be in sync with delivery that has been marked by the usual inefficiencies and corruption, feel senior Congress sources. Also, given Bihar's poor communication links and development backlog, delivery of welfare schemes is a challenge.

By focusing on local grouses, the Congress would hope to deflect attention from a polarising scenario where the choice is between Nitish Kumar's continuation in office or the return of Lalu Prasad and RJD. Though Lalu can count on Yadav and minority support, sections opposed to him remain hostile despite the upper castes' uneasy relations with Kumar.

Congress is trying to bring its organisation up to scratch and is hoping the prospect of contesting all 243 seats will also enthuse the party. This could bring in prospective candidates and offer the party a choice that it really did not have in the 2009 national election. The presence of observers is expected to ensure the party has a better information bank when the election is at hand.

The Congress will also expectedly attack Kumar for being in company of the BJP despite his anger and outrage over the advertisements issued on behalf of the Gujarat government during the recent meeting of the saffron party's national executive in Patna. In doing so, Congress will be echoing the Lalu-Paswan camp and may also want to quietly take credit for the resignation and arrest of close Narendra Modi aide Amit Shah.

Author: TNN

Source: The Times of India