Unlike earlier, the two leaders Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad have not only buried the hatchet and joined hands after losing badly in the Lok Sabha elections but also toned down their outreach to Muslims by giving Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations a miss.
Fallout of the massive counter-mobilization seen in favour of the Narendra Modi-led BJP during the polls, this was most obvious recently when the two leaders gave the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations a miss.
Besides, No Muslim candidate was fielded by JD (U) and RJD in the by-elections to be held on August 21 for 10 seats.
This sharp departure from their usual practice, besides careful avoidance of the term `aqaliyat’ for invoking the cause of minorities, stems from a fear of stoking further mobilisation in favour of Modi’s party, says analysts.
According to a political analyst, who did not wish to be named said, “Both Nitish and Lalu will not do anything which will lead to counter polarisation. They have already sanitised their political utterances. You can say they have `Modified’ themselves to cope with the resurgent NaMo forces”.
Kumar for the first time since 2005 skipped the Eid celebrations at Gandhi Maidan when he became chief minister, the post he gave up taking moral responsibility for his party’s overthrow in general elections.
In the past, he also used to grace the homes of party leaders and bureaucrats with his presence belonging to the Muslim community. But this time round, he chose to excuse himself from the state and went to Mumbai on a private visit.