RSS-BACKED SURVEY IN BIHAR UPSETS NITISH

A survey in Bihar for RSS by its outfit India Policy Foundation (IPF) could become a source of friction between CM Nitish Kumar and alliance partner BJP, reports said on February 26. Titled “Study of process and nature of change in Bihar’s Social, Economic and Political Development”, the survey is a set of 34 multiple-choice questions ranging from demerits of the Nitish government to future of JD(U), Muslims voting for the alliance despite the bogey of RSS and en masse voting pattern among Muslims. The questionnaire also does a complete profiling of people being interviewed. To be done across the state, the sample size will be 10,000. Rakesh Sinha of IPF claims the survey is academic in nature. But some of the questions will definitely not meet Nitish’s approval. For instance, there’s is a question about giving scholarships, jobs and special incentives on the basis of religion. The four choices are: Such initiatives lead to communalism, is a political compulsion, unfair and fair.

Specific to RSS, there’s a question on reasons why despite invoking Sangh’s name Muslims could not be dissuaded from voting in favour of the alliance. The options are: At the ground level image of RSS is not what media portrays, state did nothing that can be called anti-Muslim, Muslims do not hate RSS as much as it is thought, Muslims give primacy to governance and last, despite BJP Nitish government did everything for minority appeasement.