Paswan says Bhagwat’s call for ‘quota review’ a reason for NDA’s Bihar defeat

New Delhi, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan has attributed the NDA’s humiliating Bihar defeat to the “reservation review” remark by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in the run up to the elections.

Citing reasons for the NDA’s defeat, BJP’s key Bihar ally and Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister said that he did not know why Bhagwat made the comments and added that while they were not the only reasons for the loss, Opposition Grand Alliance was able to use them effectively to “instigate” and “misguide” voters.

“Whether he (Bhagwat) said it in connection with Hardik Patel (the Gujarat youth leading the Patidar agitation) or some other reason, I don’t know. That (reservation review) was not the only issue but why he said it and in which context I don’t know. RSS is an independent organisation,” he said, speaking to media in the Capital, his first after the Bihar elections where BJP and allies were routed by the Grand Alliance.

According to Paswan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah both contradicted the statement but Opposition leaders were able to use the statement to “instigate the people and divide the state on the basis of caste”.

Notably, while Paswan chose to play it safe, a senior leader in the party had admitted that the RSS chief’s statement had dimmed NDA’s prospects. “Yes, it is one of the major reasons. BJP-RSS leaders statements are responsible for the Bihar defeat,” the LJP leader said on the condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Paswan said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah did their best for the NDA in the elections.

“I don’t think it (defeat) is an individual’s responsibility. They both did all they could to ensure victory,” he said.

Paswan also dismissed claims that Shah’s “celebrations in Pakistan” or cow-beef statements were responsible for the alliance’s defeat.“If you cite those statements (Shah’s utterances), then you should also talk about what Congress leaders Mani Shakar Aiyar and Salman Khurshid said in Pakistan. Congress president Sonia Gandhi should explain why they said it,” he said.

“The Dadri incident in UP, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar giving benefits to EBCs and STs just before the elections and the fact that their (Grand Alliance) samikaran was strong and ours wasn’t are among the reasons,” Paswan said.

The Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister also rejected claims that the spike in prices of pulses — regulation of which comes under his ministry — was among the reasons for the Bihar debacle.