Nitish government out to woo Muslims with Urdu hoardings

September 22, 2013 

Bhadrapad Shuklapaksha 14, Kaliyug Varsha 5115

The Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) government in Bihar is now trying a new tactic to woo Muslims : hoardings in Urdu in Muslim dominated areas. While the official line is that it will help the people living in those areas understand government policies better, the unwritten and unsaid reason behind it is to appease Muslims ever since the JD(U) and BJP ended their 17-year-long ties over the Modi-for-PM issue.

BJP's Bihar chief Mangal Pandey says that Nitish Kumar will go to any extent to garner Muslim votes. However, he adds, such tactics don't send a positive message as the public can see through such tactics.

Though during the time when the BJP and JD(U) were together, many schemes aimed at improving the lot of the illiterates were initiated including providing scholarships to the matric pass students. Interestingly, 75 per cent of that scholarship money was to come from the Centre and the rest from the state. Similarly, the issue of allotting land to the Aligarh Muslim University was cleared on a war footing much to the chagrin of the ABVP.

Many successive governments in the state have tried to polarise the Muslim votes, it was former chief minister Jagannath Mishra who had accorded Urdu the status of second language of the state. The move had earned him the nickname "Maulana" by his detractors.

Bihar officials say that since there are many children in areas such as Kishanganj, Araria and Katihar whose education is in Urdu, it will help them understand what all the government is doing for them. The Nitish Kumar government doesn't see any harm in this as it says, it will help the government come closer to the people of the state via the language.

Source : India Today