During the 'Voter Rights Yatra' in Darbhanga, abusive language was used against PM Modi, which has created a ruckus in Bihar politics. Police have arrested the accused Mohammad Rizvi. BJP has also filed an FIR against Congress leader Mohammad Naushad. But do you know how a statement before elections can prove costly for a party or alliance? Let us understand with some examples from history...
Patna: During the ‘Voter Rights Yatra’ in Darbhanga, abusive language was used against PM Modi in a rally. ‘Abusive words’ were used for PM Narendra Modi from the platform of Mahagathbandhan. However, no big leader of Mahagathbandhan was present on the stage during the rally. Meanwhile, there is a ruckus in Bihar politics regarding this incident. There was a fight between Congress and BJP workers in Patna, in which many people were injured. The police had to use mild force to control the situation. The police has arrested the accused in the case of ‘abusing’ PM Modi in Darbhanga. The accused’s name is Mohammad Rizvi alias Raja. He is a resident of Darbhanga. BJP has also lodged an FIR against Congress leader Mohammad Naushad because the stage from which PM Modi’s mother was abused belonged to Congress youth leader Mohammad Naushad. However, Naushad has apologized for this incident. He said that he was not present on the stage at the time of the incident. He had gone to Muzaffarpur with Rahul Gandhi.
After this incident, BJP has become aggressive. BJP is trying to cash in on this issue from social media to the streets. Through ‘Voter Rights Yatra’, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is trying to strengthen the party again in Bihar. This journey of Rahul Gandhi is also getting support from all the parties of the Mahagathbandhan, RJD, Left parties, VIP. However, a controversial statement given for PM Modi from the Congress platform can completely change the political atmosphere of Bihar, this is because controversial statements given before the elections have turned the tables earlier as well. Let us know when such statements before the elections have turned the tables…
2007 Gujarat elections and the ‘merchant of death’ statement
First of all, let us tell you about the statement which harmed the Congress. It is about the 2007 Gujarat assembly elections. During an election rally in Gujarat, Sonia Gandhi called the then CM Narendra Modi a ‘merchant of death’. Her statement was on the 2002 Gujarat riots. Sonia Gandhi had said – ‘Those who run the government of Gujarat are liars, dishonest, merchants of fear and death.’ BJP linked this statement of Sonia Gandhi to the insult of Gujarati identity. This controversy affected the elections. When the election results came out, BJP won 117 seats, while Congress had to be satisfied with 59 seats. This statement of Sonia Gandhi changed the direction of the election.
2015 Bihar election and ‘DNA’ statement
There were assembly elections in Bihar in the year 2015. A year before the Bihar elections, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi registered a bumper victory and formed the government with full majority at the center. Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister. In such a situation, BJP was expecting an easy victory in the Bihar elections. During the campaign for the Bihar elections, PM Modi held a rally in Muzaffarpur. In this rally, he targeted CM Nitish Kumar for leaving the NDA and said that there is something wrong with his ‘DNA’.
The parties of the Grand Alliance (mainly RJD-JDU) linked this statement of PM Modi to Bihari identity. The Grand Alliance capitalized on this statement in the elections. When the results came out, the Grand Alliance got 178 seats, while the NDA had to be satisfied with 58 seats. This statement of PM Modi proved to be damaging for BJP.
2022 Gujarat elections and Kharge’s ‘Ravan’ statement
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge compared PM Modi to Ravan in the Gujarat Assembly elections 2022. Mallikarjun Kharge targeted PM Modi in a rally during the Gujarat elections and said, ‘How many times should I see your face? See your face in councilor elections. See your face in MLA elections too. See your face in MP elections too. Everywhere. How many are there brother. Do you have 100 faces like Ravan?’
This statement of Kharge was surrounded by controversies. BJP called it an insult to Gujarat. When the election results came, Congress had to face a crushing defeat. Congress could win only 17 seats. At the same time, BJP created history by winning 156 seats. This was the biggest victory of BJP in Gujarat. Even Narendra Modi himself could never get so many seats. This victory proved that the public did not like Kharge’s statement.
These examples show how much impact the controversial statements of leaders have on elections. Many times such statements become costly for political parties. Therefore, leaders should be careful while speaking. They should not make such statements that hurt anyone’s feelings or spread hatred in the society.
Curated by: Sudhendra Pratap Singh
About the author
Sudhendra Pratap Singh, Principal Content Producer at Navbharat Times Online. Started journalism from Agra. Started journey with local newspaper Agrabharat. From here the caravan grew and reached NBT.com via Kalpataru Express, Hindustan News Paper and News18. Currently keeping an eye on politics, crime, current affairs and off beat news of Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan. Working in media for about 14 years.
Courtesy : Hindi News