Vijay Sinha Targets Lalu Yadav With Dhritarashtra Analogy Ahead of Bihar Polls

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, a prominent BJP leader, drew a sharp Mahabharata analogy on Wednesday, accusing Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav of embodying the blind king Dhritarashtra due to his unwavering support for son and party leader Tejashwi Yadav. The remark, invoking the epic's portrayal of Dhritarashtra as a father partial to his wayward son Duryodhana, came amid escalating political rhetoric ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for November 6 and 11. Sinha's swipe highlights the intensifying rivalry between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Mahagathbandhan, as both camps gear up for a high-stakes contest in the state.

The controversy erupted after Lalu Yadav, the veteran Socialist leader and former Bihar Chief Minister, took a playful jab at the NDA on the social media platform X. Referencing the poll dates, he posted, "6 aur 11, NDA nau do gyarah," a Hindi idiom implying the NDA would be left trailing or "running away" after the voting phases. The quip, laced with electoral bravado, underscores Lalu's enduring influence in Bihar politics despite health setbacks and legal battles, including ongoing corruption cases that have sidelined him from active campaigning. At 77, Lalu's social media presence remains a key tool for the RJD to rally its core Yadav-Muslim base.

Sinha, responding during a public address, lambasted Lalu for prioritising familial loyalty over the state's interests. "Lalu Yadav is at the final threshold of his life, but due to his love for his son, he has become Dhritarashtra. To register his presence in politics, Lalu Yadav keeps defaming Bihar and writing whatever he wants," Sinha stated, as quoted by NDTV. The BJP leader accused the RJD of fostering unrest and social discord, echoing earlier criticisms where he had similarly labelled Lalu as blinded by paternal affection—such as when Lalu alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi favoured Gujarat over Bihar's development.

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This isn't Sinha's first use of the Dhritarashtra metaphor; in a prior exchange, he had warned that those responsible for past migration crises and economic woes in Bihar were attempting a comeback through divisive tactics. "Those who forced Biharis to migrate and ruined Bihar are now at their final stage. Like Dhritarashtra, blinded by affection for his sons, they are once again trying to create unrest in Bihar and disrupt social harmony to destroy the state. But now, Biharis will not tolerate it," Sinha had remarked. The NDA, led by Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and the BJP, currently holds a slim majority in the 243-seat assembly, but opinion polls suggest a tight race, with Tejashwi's RJD positioning itself as a youth-centric alternative.

As the Election Commission oversees a multi-phase poll to manage the state's logistics and security, the verbal volleys signal a fiercely contested battle. The RJD-led alliance aims to capitalise on anti-incumbency against the NDA's governance record, while the ruling coalition touts infrastructure gains and welfare schemes. With over 7 crore voters at stake, Bihar's outcome could reshape national alliances ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, making these familial and epic-tinged barbs more than mere rhetoric—they reflect deep-seated political fault lines in India's heartland.

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