Why Giriraj Singh is Seen as Crucial for the BJP in Bihar

Patna:

Giriraj Singh of Bihar has a high hit rate in delivering maximally offensive remarks, but that hasn't impeded his political growth. In November, he was made a Union Minister though he was on bail at the time in a case that accused him of a hate speech in his home state. Ahead of the national election, Mr Singh had vowed publicly that critics of Narendra Modi, then his party's Prime Ministerial candidate, would be exiled to Pakistan.

Mr Singh, 63, has incited a ferocious call for his removal today with his egregious remarks against Sonia Gandhi. If her husband, Rajiv, had married "a Nigerian lady and not a white-skinned woman, then would the Congress have made her President?" he asked in Bihar.

For that deeply racist remark, he received a warning from his party. BJP chief Amit Shah phoned him to ask that he show restraint in his comments and steer clear of words or actions that could embarrass the government and the party.

Critics say that amounts to little more than a very light slap on the wrist. Sources in the BJP in Bihar say that Mr Singh remains unfettered by fear of real punishment because of his well-established proximity to the party's top leaders, Mr Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, who, for years, was hosted by Mr Singh when he visited the state.

When the BJP was deliberating in 2013 over whether to choose Mr Modi as its prime ministerial candidate, Mr Singh was among the leader's most aggressively vocal champions. Mr Singh, was, at the time, in the cabinet of the coalition government in Bihar that was run by the BJP with Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal United (JDU) as the senior partner. The alliance ended with deep rancour when Mr Kumar objected to Mr Modi being made the centerpiece of the BJP's campaign for the national election. Mr Singh relentlessly attacked Mr Kumar. (Also read: Minister Giriraj Singh's Comments on Sonia Gandhi 'Bordering on Insanity', Says Congress)

That was not new. After communal riots seared Gujarat in 2002, when Mr Modi was Chief Minister, Mr Kumar, worried about alienating Muslim voters in Bihar, told the BJP that the state must remain off-limits for any campaigning by Mr Modi. Mr Singh had urged his party to reject that proposal.

Mr Singh's addition to the union government late last year was not detached from the approaching election in Bihar later this year; the BJP hopes to replace Mr Kumar and his JDU in power. Mr Singh belongs to the powerful and landed upper caste Bhumihar community, that has traditionally sided with the BJP.

In April last year, Mr Singh said that opponents of the BJP's presumptive prime minister would be forced to re-locate to Pakistan when he was elected. Days later, Mr Modi later did not name him but urged supporters to stop "irresponsible" and "petty statements".

A month later, Mr Singh appeared to target Muslims, when he said, "People who are being arrested in terrorist activities in the country seem to belong to one community."

In November, he joined Mr Modi's government.