Patna,(BiharTimes): The Janata Dal (United) is caught in a  bind as to what should it do with chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.

The handpicked man of Nitish Kumar, in the eyes of many  partymen, is becoming too big for his boots. Some of the legislators, like Anant Singh, went to the extent of calling  him ‘pagal’ (mad) and demanded that the chief minister be sent to mental hospital in Ranchi.

If one accepts the argument that Manjhi is mad, there is certainly some method and reason in madness. He has carved  out his own constituency within a large section of  Mahadalits, Adivasis and Extreme Backward Castes population. 

This can be gauged from the fact that Mahadalit students blocked Ashok Rajpath on Friday seeking the institution of case under Dalit Atrocities Act against Anant Singh. They whole-heartedly supported Manjhi and asked the party to rein in errant leaders.

Though the Janata Dal (United) national secretary general, K C Tyagi, told the media that the party is taking notice of Manjhi’s remarks there is no denying the fact that the CM is playing his card intelligently.
While clarifying his statement made in Valmikinagar the CM  asked his critics to seek the opinion of historians on the issue of Aryan link of the upper castes. There is no doubt  that a strong section of historians accept this fact though the Sangh Parivar do not accept this version and says that everyone is Bharatiya. That is why Nand Kishore Yadav was the first to take this line hours after Manjhi’s statement.
Though JD(U) strongmen like Anant Singh and Sunil Pandey called for the immediate ouster of Manjhi the more sensible  leaders like Neeraj Kumar, Sanjay Jha and Munna Shahi are of  the view that this can be the personal view of the chief  minister and not that of the party. But the truth is that  there are several party bigwigs who agree with Manjhi’s  version of history and not that of BJP. What they disagree is  the way Manjhi has said so and its timing.

A political commentator, who wished not to be quoted, told  BiharTimes that Manjhi is indulging in some plainspeaking and in more than one way he is more radical and appropriate in  his approach than the RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in early  1990s. 

But some other JD(U) leaders feel that what is causing  problem in the Nitish camp is that Manjhi, by his statements,  have antagonized a large section of upper castemen. If one traces the speeches and utterances of Union minister  Ram Vilas Paswan and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav made during  the heydays of Mandal years one may find some similarities  with what Manjhi is saying now. But that was a different  time. 

The followers of the Nitish camp within the party fear that  Manjhi, by such radical statements, may walk away with a  large chunk of Mahadalit and even some EBC supporters leaving  Nitish high and dry. That is the one reason they are trying  to run down the stature of the chief minister.

Though Nitish himself has not said anything on this latest  issue it is also true that he may not agree with the BJP’s  interpretation of history. He is caught in a dilemma as  Manjhi has made this statement only a week after meeting him. 

The chief minister suddenly rushed to Champaran a couple of  days ahead of Nitish’s Sampark Yatra and, as if in a planne  manner, gave these remarks. If Janata Dal (United) abandons Manjhi abruptly there is  likelihood that it may lose a sizeable section of Mahadalit  and EBC support. Manjhi may become a martyr. As he has become  a hot potato of a sort the BJP may not accept him. The only  party which appears somewhat sympathetic to him is the RJD,  which wants to increase its hold over the Mahadalits and  EBCs. 

If the JD(U) continues with Manjhi for some more time it may  lose the support of the upper castemen, though there are many  in this section fo society, who still feel that Manjhi had  said nothing wrong. “What if we are Aryans and have come  thousands of years ago and settled here,” it is being asked. 

After all some Aryans are proud of their foreign ancestral  links. There was nothing stagnant in the world and migration  is very much a part of human history.

Analysts are of the view that the problem is less of history  and more of politics. As Manjhi is politically not suiting  the Nitish camp it is bound to have repercussions. Otherwise  he would have enjoyed full backing of his own party on this  very issue.