The poster war in Bihar draws our attention attentively. It has started in view of the ensuing state assembly elections next year. If the ruling party brings out a poster with a political message, the opposition RJD does not lag behind in putting up a more acerbic message in response in an opportune time.
Whether it is called poster war or the political war, it has set a favourable trend in the eastern state. Such sort of wars are waged to attract public attention to grasp the political mood and trend. It is, of course, nothing new thing but it is, as the French historian and politician Max Gallo (1932-2017) has put, existing in the world for over two hundred years. In the middle of the nineteenth century, several separate, but related, changes took place. Anyway, we are here concerning the poster war prevailing in the state of Bihar. How had the poster war started politically in the state? We need to follow and understand this delicate point first and foremost.
The Janata Dal-United had earlier put up a large poster featuring its prominent leader and chief minister Nitish Kumar outside the selected spot of its headquarters. With precise and bold Hindi letters one apt message of ‘why even discuss when Nitish Kumar is doing good,’ a poster was firmly placed into the ground. It was surely a well-thought text for the political partners as well as rivals, as political gazers pointed insisting that the JDU is in no mood to give up the post of the chief minister, even if its partner BJP claims the same.
Though no abrupt reaction came from their trusted ally, the RJD did not check itself from responding in its special manner. Installing outside the party office, a poster with the Hindi text ‘kyun na karey vichar, Bihar jo hai beemar’ (why should we not discuss, when the state suffers) the Rashtriya Janata Dal made a strong counter.
Political animosity has existed between the RJD and the JDU for the past few days. The JDU leaves no opportune time to indict the ruling party. This causes a counter-response from both political parties. The JDU leaders state they were fully prepared to answer every question of the ruling party while the RJD maintained routinely and methodically that there was no vacancy for the CM’s post in the state. The people repose full faith in the leadership of Nitish Kumar.
The political views of both the parties have been cleared in view of the approaching elections. It would heighten with the passing of days, months and the year obviously. The main focus remains on political power as the onslaught of encephalitis has not manifested restlessness among the politicians all the more.
Too often political leaders do things because these are definitely not what the public wants but it is what they want for the helpless people. It is quite easy to just follow out what is handed over to them until they steadily lose control of their inherent capacity to make a choice instantly.