Why Anand Mohan’s release exposes BJP more than Nitish Kumar?

New Delhi: The decision to release former Bihar MP Anand Mohan by tweaking the jail manual is a clear masterstroke by chief minister Nitish Kumar as the state BJP is not in a position to oppose it.

While all the state BJP leaders including Giriraj Singh and Sushil Kumar Modi were seen sympathising with the convicted killer of an on-duty IAS officer G Krishnaiah for the Rajput vote bank, BJP’s IT cell head and national spokesperson Amit Malviya was caught out of sync with his own party leaders in the state.

Malviya took to Twitter to attack Nitish Kumar without realising the ground reality and his party’s stand on the matter. 

“Shame on Nitish Kumar for capitulating to RJD’s sinister machinations,” he wrote.

“The Bihar government had surreptitiously removed the "murderer of a government servant on duty" category of prisoners by amending the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012, paving the way for the release of don-turned-RJD politician Anand Mohan, who was serving a life term for the murder of G Krishnaiah, a Dalit IAS officer,” Malviya added.

What the BJP’s national spokesperson said next proved him completely cut off from the ground reality. 

He said, “Can someone who is leaning on a criminal syndicate, to hold on to power, be the face of India, even as opposition leader? Corruption, crime and a bid to defend their shrinking political turf is the glue for India’s opposition, from Mamata Banerjee to Nitish Kumar, Kejriwal to KCR.”

Here is the ambiguity in the statements of the leadership of the BJP, which claim to be a party with a difference.

When Malviya asked if someone who is leaning on a criminal syndicate, to hold on to power, can be the face of India, even as opposition leader, he apparently was unaware that his party leaders in Bihar were doing the same – leaning on a criminal syndicate to hold on to power.

BJP spokespersons are now saying that the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case were released as per existing laws and rules whereas rules were bent in order to release Anand Mohan.

The question is what other ways could be looked at when each and every party was in support of the release of the convicted killer. 

It is for this reason that whatever little noise we hear does not appear more than a tokenism. 

The same BJP was seen attacking Arvind Kejriwal over Rs 45 crore spent on the “beautification” of his official residence because he was against such lavish lifestyle of politicians in the beginning. 

Kejriwal called AAP a party with a difference but failed to keep up his own words and this is why BJP is attacking him.

If Malviya attacked Nitish Kumar for leaning on a criminal syndicate and exposed his “sushasan babu” image for going back on 2012 rules, BJP’s claim of being a party with a difference stands exposed too when its Bihar leaders call “Bechare Anand Mohan jee”.

There could be many point-of-views and counter-point-of-views on this topic but the bottom line is that BJP is left with no moral right to speak against the release of the convicted killer in Bihar for the reason known to its voters.

On the other hand, Nitish Kumar has hit many targets with one move in order to woo the upper-caste Rajput voters who largely used to be with BJP along with Bhumihar and Brahmins.