First due to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Muslim votebank politics and then Nitish Kumar’s same, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi could visit Bihar for the first time after becoming the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

Bihar has just 16% Muslim vote, but you can see, how powerful the politics around this 16% part of the state. Just to please just 16% population of Muslims in Bihar, Mr. Ramvilas Paswan demands Muslim Chief Minister and Muslim reservation, and Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav vows not to let enter Narendra Modi in Bihar during his regime. Congress appoints a Muslim Mehboob Ali Kaisar as state President, and for just 16% Muslim votes, Nitish behaves in amateur and votebank worthy manner. He objects a photograph of him holding hand with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Nitish Kumar even orders his police to raid an advertising agency and investigate who had mailed the ad. His police obey an order and raids an advertising agency office after midnight. Such prompt action is otherwise needed in many Naxal related cases of Bihar. If Nitish and his police were so reactive and prompt at raiding the Maoists dens, there could be peace in Naxal belt of Bihar before couple of years.

Nitish Kumar is angry with his photograph with Modi so much, like it was some misrepresented photoshopped or morphed picture! The photo was ofcourse real, and there is no doubt about it. When Nitish shook his hand with Modi in Ludhiana rally last year, was he upset? He was definitely not. He was smiling too like Modi. Even his smile is not photoshopped or morphed. There is no doubt about it. Then why he is crying, or angry now? Leaders are public figures and their photographs or videos are freely used by people. Nitish Kumar is angry in a fashion, like someone has published a conservative woman’s bathing photo published without her consent! Becoming Railway minister under BJP government is fine, and staying as Chief Minister of Bihar for years thanks to BJP support is also fine. But then how shameful it was to cancel dinner, planned for senior BJP leaders! Nitish could be a successful Chief Minister, but he proved himself just a tiny politician and more so tinier human being by doing so.

Nitish should understand that his coalition government with the BJP has done so well that he doesn’t need votebank politics anymore. In Narendra Modi’s Patna speech, there was a clear message not only for Nitish, but his types of politicians. Modi said, “we are in politics of development and we will compel others to come to development politics, eliminating the votebank politics.”

Nitish seems under influence of continuous mispropaganda against Narendra Modi, that has been propelled, for last several years by some biased and influential section of media, some Muslim leaders holding their control over section of their kind of followers, and some fake secularists. Some of the cheap myths created by this gang are:(1) Narendra Modi is largely anti-Muslim and he is terrible for Muslims, (2) A Muslim can never accept Narendra Modi, and (3) any proximity to Narendra Modi means losing Muslim votes.

Instead of believing in such bogus agendise propaganda, Nitish should have confidence in his performance. A vocal Muslim and a common Muslim are different. When Modi entered Patna, there was no riot like situation there. Thousands of Muslims were not on streets. They were not pelting stones, opposing Modi’s visit. A common Muslim was busy in his routine work. Only handful of politically vocal Muslims – who can be accommodated in one photo-frame for group picture – protested at the airport. Nitish needs to differentiate between few vocal Muslims and common Muslims on streets. Between the opinion of section of media and that of a last person in village. Between some Muslim NGOs and last Muslim in mohalla. A common voter would vote for Nitish if his government’s performance is good. And in any case, appeasement should not be acceptable. Pakistan was created not because Muslims were ignored, but because they were pampered and appeased. Both ignoring and appeasing are wrong.

Just for 16% Muslim population, one and another government in Bihar behaves in fashion like Bihar has become Saudi Arabia. One of the reasons behind it is that the Muslim votes are perceived to have unifocal approach. If presently well-divided Hindus and open minded Muslims of Bihar would adopt uniform approach to vote for BJP as single largest party, the next CM could be somebody who would not be ashamed of welcoming other state’s three-time elected popular Chief Minister. the next CM could be somebody who would not cancel dinner for the guests for some published photograph. The next CM could be somebody who would not appease a particular section to win the election, but would believe in the politics of performance and development.

It is good that finally Narendra Modi entered Bihar. It is good that his counter-propaganda effectively slapped those who were spreading misinformation about him and his state for last several years. Something was needed to be done in Bihar. It is good that his party stood behind Modi like a rock-wall. Modi’s magic could be witnessed on the streets of Patna. Placards with his photographs were super hit. BJP workers were coming to Gandhi maidan in heat with full energy shouting “Narendra Modi Zindabad” slogans. Modi’s speech injected josh in common BJP worker. One significant achievement of Modi’s presence in Bihar was that, the youth workers of the party were seemed feeling much more confident with shining pride of being a BJPian.

Though we like it or not like it, it is all possible that Nitish might give last minute jolt to BJP and pull out from coalition just before the election. The BJP should stay prepared for such situation in advance. When similar happened just before the Lok Sabha election in Orissa, BJP people were so surprised and shocked that they could not prepare much to fight the election on their own. JD(U) is BJP’s long time ally, but June-2010 second week episode is orange signal before red. BJP should concentrate on becoming the largest single party in next Bihar assembly election, and Narendra Modi should visit Patna more. He should addressee more rallies there.

By the way, Bhopal’s Maut Ke Saudagar was originally a DeshGujarat’s tweet on Tweeter just a day before Modi’s Patna speech. And we heard Modi reads Tweeter.