Shatrughan Sinha Is No Shah Rukh Khan

Sushil Kumar Modi has been the face of the BJP in Bihar, and the glue that binds the saffron party with the JD(U). He has been running the show in the state along with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. In an interview with THE WEEK, Sushil Modi said the alliance was poised to do well, given the social combination it has managed to stitch together.

- Pratul Sharma

On the issue of the BJP denying tickets to senior leaders like L.K. Advani, Sushil Modi said they embarrassed themselves by not bowing out gracefully. About Shatrughan Sinha fighting on a Congress ticket, he said the erstwhile superstar would not even find polling agents in Patna Sahib. Excerpts:

The fight between the NDA and the RJD-led grand alliance seems to be on the issues of nationalism and secularism.

The issue of performance does not have any ideology. When bank accounts are opened, gas connections are given, roads are built and electricity reaches across the state, then where is the issue of secularism or cultural nationalism? The RJD and the Congress know that their image is bad and that their alliance is based on vote banks. Now, they are going to temples. We do not think there is any contest in Bihar. There is no challenge.

But across the country, the contest between the BJP and other opposition parties looks like an ideological battle.