If you think about it, organising an ordinary political rally in any city is no big feat. But, on my way from Patna’s Jay Prakash Narayan Airport to Chanakya Hotel on Beer Chand Patel Marg, it dawned on me that Lalu Prasad Yadav’s ‘BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao’ rally is no ordinary political rally.
Large green hoardings had been put up in every street, every gully of the city. Other than Lalu and his family, the faces of local politicians also beamed from the posters, appealing to the public to save the country.
My first guide and informant in the city was Ram Nivas, the driver of the pre-paid taxi I took from the airport. Sitting in the car, I asked, “Ram Nivasji, will the rally be crowded?”
Nivas shot back:
The public has been paid, sir. The rally is bound to be crowded.
“But isn't the public struggling to cope with the floods? Why would they come?” I took the conversation forward by asking about the massive floods in the state.
But Nivas seemed convinced with his theory:
Arre sir, this is how the public here is. You give them Rs 200, they can feed themselves and it’s also a good excuse to visit Patna. Isn’t it?
As we chatted further, I realised Nivas was from the Nitish Kumar’s camp of the Janata Dal(United). Anything he said about the rally was more political angst and less information.
The taxi was approaching the hotel. During my journey, every time I looked out of the window, all I saw was giant hoardings floating before my eyes, and on those posters was a smiling image of ‘Tejashwi Bahubali.’
Interestingly, Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar's former Deputy Chief Minister and Lalu’s son, dominated the posters more than his father. In several posters, he adorned the attire of 'Bahubali'. What's more, on 26 August, the day before the rally, #BahubaliTejashwi began to trend on Twitter.
On the morning of 27 August, my doubts were confirmed. At 7.55 am, when I booked an Ola cab to go to the venue of the rally – Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan, the driver immediately refused to go.
Gandhi Maidan nahi ja sakte sir. Udhar gadi nahi jaane de rahe. (Can’t go to Gandhi Maidan sir. They are not allowing cars that side.)
Nevertheless, I had to make my way to the venue somehow. Once I stepped out of my hotel, however, I was greeted by a massive crowd chanting “Gandhi Maidan Jana Hai, Desh Ko Bachana Hai (We have to go to Gandhi Maidan to save the country).”
An obliging auto wallah finally dropped me at IT Chowk for Rs 10. From there, I began my journey to Dakbangla Chauraha on foot. Heavy police barricading meant I was accompanied by several others in a large crowd that was marching towards the rally. Thankfully, the cloudy sky provided some relief from the heat.
When I entered Gandhi Maidan, which houses a 70-feet tall statue of Mahatma Gandhi, from gate no 12, all I saw was a sea of people. It was 9 am, and the rally was expected to start only at 11:30 am. Other than huge speakers, life size LED screens had been placed in several parts of the maidan.
Everyone wanted a spot closer to the stage. So much so that at one point nearly 40 to 50 reporters and two dozen cameras had no place to stand. The crowd, in its enthusiasm, had staked claim on the media stand.
A Focus on Social Media
Known for grassroots rallies like ‘Gareeb Rally’, ‘Lathi Rally’ and ‘Parivartan Rally’, a strong social media team’s presence was apparent in Lalu's coterie. Incidentally, this social media ‘army’ seemed to be working under the leadership of Congress’ Shehzad Poonawalla.
Speaking to The Quint, Poonawalla said:
We will lend support to every anti-BJP front. Tejashwi is friends with my brother Tehseen Ponawalla, and we want to spread the message of this rally to as many people as possible through social media.
Present amidst the crowd, a woman from Bhagalpur told me she spent money to come to the rally, despite the floods.
Nitish has betrayed Laluji. They’re trying to make a liar out of Tejashwi.Woman at the rally
Another member of the crowd, Shyam Kumar from Darbhanga, seemed livid:
Modi ji promised jobs to the youth, he promised black money would come back, everyone would get Rs 15 lakh in their accounts. But it has been three years and nothing has happened. I have come to this rally to protest this.
By this time, more than half of the maidan was filled with people. Upon talking to people, I learnt that other than Lalu’s Muslim-Yadav votebank, the OBC and Dalit-Mahadalit votebank had also shown up in large numbers.
A local journalist told me that the maidan can hold up to six lakh people, which means if a crowd of over 3 lakh turns up, there would be nothing to be astonished about. For an Opposition leader neck-deep in corruption charges, this turn out was definitely commendable.
Although, later, a picture on Lalu’s Twitter handle courted controversy and triggered questions about how big the crowd really was.
A Dent in Nitish's Votebank?
Lalu had announced the ‘BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao’ rally even before Nitish Kumar dissolved the Grand Alliance. But, with Kumar's exit, this anti-BJP campaign was hurt.
BSP supremo Mayawati also refused to join. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi also decided to send their representatives instead of showing up at the rally.
However, with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress’ Mamata Banerjee sharing the stage with Lalu and 15 other parties, the campaign seemed to have been renewed with life.
I was surprised when the crowd broke into loud applause when rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav came on stage. How much will Sharad Yadav’s rebellion hurt Kumar's votebank?
Yadav Jr Puts up a Strong Show
I was waiting for Tejashwi’s speech. I wanted to assess how much the young Yadav – who calls himself a victim of Kumar's betrayal and BJP's persecution – has to show. Tejashwi was the first to speak from his family. His father, mother Rabri Devi, and brother Tej Pratap Yadav followed later.
Other than his strong tirade against Kumar and the BJP-Sangh Parivar, Tejashwi also spoke of the issues of Dalits, Mahadalits, and the downtrodden. Through his speech, one could see glimpses of a veteran politician in the 28-year-old man. Though his speech was still shy of his father's style and humour, the political narrative seemed right.
Speaking of the corruption charges against his family, and the alleged persecution by investigative agencies, Tejashwi asserted on stage:
Lalu Prasad Yadav’s blood runs through my veins. I am not going to be cowered down.
Lalu also repeatedly mentioned Tejashwi in his speech.
Nitish was jealopus of Tejashwi. He felt threatened by him.Lalu Prasad Yadav
After this, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and other leaders spoke of the need for a secular movement against the BJP.
Although, no solid formula for a mahagathbandhan ahead of the 2019 general elections seemed to emerge from this stage. But, it can be said that the damage Kumar's ghar wapsi had done to the Opposition's morale, this rally has begun to fix.
Lalu's message through this rally was clear. He wished to hand the RJD's baton to his son. This message was loud and clear, but it’s on Tejashwi now to make use of the empty space that is begging for a strong Opposition.
(This story has been translated from Hindi by Suhasini Krishnan. It was originally published on QuintHindi.)
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