The Sushant Singh Rajput case has not only gripped the nation, but it has also gripped the minds of politicians, especially in the poll-bound state of Bihar where the late actor came from. While the BJP and JD(U) are fronting the campaign, even smaller players in the state like the Congress don’t want to be left out. So while some in the Congress are questioning the media frenzy over the coverage of the case, the party is singing a different tune in the state, scared that not playing the ‘Bihar ka beta’ card could cost it electorally.
Not surprisingly, one of the many visitors to Sushant’s family has been Shaktisinh Gohil who is the Congress state in-charge. In fact when the CBI probe was announced by the Bihar government and the Centre, Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra took credit and welcomed the development.
Gohil too rushed in to claim credit for the inquiry. But as the BJP local unit came out with posters calling for ‘justice for Sushant’, the Congress was caught in a bind. It has been accusing the media and the BJP of using the Sushant case to divert attention from what it calls the ‘kushasan’ of chief minister Nitish Kumar. It has accused the BJP and the Centre of not focusing on serious issues like rising Covid-19 cases and economic distress. But in a state like Bihar, where Sushant, as ‘son of the soil’, has become an electoral issue, how can the Congress not join the bandwagon?
Elections in any state throw up the issue of ‘son of the soil’, and it often works. In Maharashtra polls ‘Maha for Marathis’, in Gujarat Modi’s ‘Gujarati asmita’, in Bengal ‘aamra Bangali’ ( with BJP portrayed as outsider) are seen as winning tags. As Bihar’s new generation looks outwards , the state leaders are now looking inwards. And this is what the entire issue of ‘justice for Sushant’ is all about.
Former union minister Shakeel Ahmad, who was suspended by the Congress last year for standing in the Lok Sabha polls as an independent candidate, and is now hoping to contest from the state as a party nominee after the decision has been revoked, said, “We as Biharis would certainly want to know the truth about Sushant Singh Rajput. We don’t want to do politics over it.” This may very well be the official line but for a party that is hanging by a thread in the state, no issue can be ignored anymore. Hence, sources say as the poll dates come closer, the Congress too will use this as an issue to show that it feels for the state and Sushant. Local leaders are expected to come out with posters and also welcome any step which brings the case closer to a closure.
The dilemma remains as what the Congress does in Bihar is linked to what happens to its coalition government in Maharashtra. It is clear that the battle in Bihar is being played out with an eye on Maharashtra. The fight is now open between the Shiv Sena and the BJP. Actress Kangana Ranaut has become the shoulder from which the BJP is firing and hitting out at the Sena. The dilemma within the Congress is best illustrated by its stand on the Shiv Sena’s verbal spat with Kangana. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, “We don’t accept the comment by Shiv Sena on Kangana. We think it’s OK to give her security if there is a threat to her though even her comments on Mumbai are unacceptable.”
Sources say that the feedback from the Congress’s Bihar unit to the high command has been that the party has not done enough on the Sushant issue: “at a time when our party is in the doldrums, when Nitish-BJP seem unshakeable, and the real issues are not being highlighted, any issue, even the death of a star like Sushant, should not be missed”. At the Centre, the Congress has agreed but has requested the state leaders not to cross the Lakshman Rekha. And hence, don’t be surprised if over the next few weeks, the Congress too exploits the emotional aspect of the Sushant Singh Rajput case. After all, in politics, even a death can be a poll plank.
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