Union minister General VK Singh's much publicised remark reportedly comparing the burning of Dalit children with stone being thrown at some stray dog could not have come at a worse time for the NDA in Bihar.

As the BJP-led coalition is fighting the election, with what many observers of the Bihar scene regard as a 'back to wall' kind of electoral battle, Singh's 'words of wisdom' in all likelihood would further strengthen the apprehensions of the marginalised groups towards the NDA in general and BJP in particular, says Shivanand Tiwari, a former member of the Rajya Sabha and keen observer of the Bihar political scene.


BJP had never been known for its love towards the Dalits, said Tiwari. But in recent past, the party had been aggressively wooing the Dalits and uncharacteristically, BJP pampered Dalit leader and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, even compromising with the party's self esteem.


Not only Manjhi, BJP also cultivated Ram Bilas Paswan just to win over the Dalits and allay their apprehensions. Read more