PM Modi to kick off campaign from Karpoori Thakur’s village on Oct 24

PM Narendra Modi will kick off his election campaign by paying tributes to late CM Karpoori Thakur at his native village Karpoori Gram in Samastipur district on October 24.

“After paying tributes to the late leader, he will address his first public meeting in Samastipur and then address another meeting at Begusarai the same day,” said state party president Dilip Jaiswal.

Jaiswal said that PM Modi would come again to Bihar on October 30 and address public meetings in Chhapra and Muzaffarpur. The gap is long because from October 24 to 28, the state would celebrate Chhath festival, said BJP sources.

The picking of Karpoori Thakur’s native village is significant because despite his death in 1988, the socialist leader is still politically significant in Bihar as he is the biggest icon of extremely backward caste (EBC) politics. The EBCs are a cluster of more than 100 smaller castes and contribute more than 30 per cent of the population.

The Union Government had awarded Karpoori Thakur with a Bharat Ratna in 2024 and Jan Suraaj has fielded his granddaughter as its candidate in these elections. Despite dying over three decades ago, Karpoori Thakur’s name is still politically significant.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Giriraj Singh created a political flutter on Sunday when he declared that his party did not need the votes of ‘namak harams’ (traitors) - meaning the Muslim community.

He said that PM Modi implemented his social schemes without distinguishing between caste and creed, but Muslims, despite availing these benefits, did not vote for the BJP.

“I asked a ‘maulana’ if he got the Ayushman Bharat health card (a scheme which gives healthcare to the tune of Rs 5 lakh to the poor). The maulana said yes. I asked him if he voted for Modi, he first replied in the affirmative. But when I asked him to swear in the name of Khuda (God), he remained silent,” Giriraj said. “Such people are called ‘namak harams’ and I do not want the vote of such ‘namak harams’,” he said.

He said that the Union Government launches welfare schemes, builds roads and bridges without discriminating on the basis of caste and creed and includes every section of society. “But the Muslims never vote for BJP,” he said.

Giriraj’s statement has triggered off reactions. Surprisingly, JD(U), which used to be critical about Giriraj’s ‘communal’ statements in the past, was lenient on him. “You may disagree with his language, but what he has said is true,” said JD(U)’s spokesperson Neeraj Kumar.

Incidentally, the JD(U) had given 11 seats to Muslim candidates in the 2020 Assembly poll, but this time, it has brought the number down to just four, acknowledging that it would not get Muslim votes as an ally of the BJP.

The Opposition has alleged that Giriraj was trying to communalise society. “The BJP always talks about Hindu-Muslim…never about better education, employment, education and other relevant issues,” said RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari.

Independent MP Pappu Yadav alleged that it was the ‘sanghis’ (RSS members) who were ‘namak harams’ who sided with the British during the independence movement. Giriraj is known for creating strife through his statements when elections are near, he said.