Jitan Ram Manjhi’s forced exit from office should be mourned by all those who cherish the values of a democratic society where even the humblest can rise to the highestoffice.   But it is time that we recognized that feudal ism in Bihar is alive and flourishing and the dalits and other subalterns must reconcile to the fact that even in Sushahsan they must not aspire to any role other than that of obedient and compliant servants. Even as the CM of Bihar!Is not it ironic that the original  messiah of dalits,  Laloo Prasad  took time off from the Rs 200 crore wedding of his daughter, to offer words of wisdom to a defeated  and   despondent Manjhi  and no support?

1) Why did Sri Nitish Kumar choose Jitan Ram Manjhi over many others who were more competent and illustrious? If his being mahadalit was the only factor that weighed  in his favour, then  did he cease to be a mahadalit, nine months down the line.Nitsh Kumar has explained that he had given him a road map from which he deviated  and the governance suffered .  But clearly governance was not a priority otherwise he would have chosen some one more competent. So this argument does not hold water. Did this road map include the direction that his favourite ministers, officers-   believed to be fund collectors – should not to be touched?  What is the constitutional obligation of a CM to follow the dictates of his predecessor? What exactly did Manjhi do which necessitated his removal need to be spelt out in concrete terms? After all it is not a domestic servant who was being fired. It is the people of Bihar who have chosen all these people and choosing a CM and then firing him is not something that is subject to his whims and fancy?

JitanRam Manjhi has buckled under the formidable show of strength staged by Nitish Kumar. He gave up, even without a fight,just before the vote of confidence   .  It was not only the grand alliance of political forces that Nitish Kumar was able to muster – his own party MLAs, the RJD , the Congress and some independents. To augment it further, the speaker was asked to drop even the pretenseof neutrality.He made it known that rules will be bent – and were bent- to ensure that Manjhi lost the confidence vote, in the event of a voting taking place.  Nitish’s mouthpiece, the independent media  of Bihar, had been waging a concerted psychological warfare against Manjhi by a partisan projection of facts and opinion in favour of Nitish to induce a sense of diffidence in Manjhi’s   camp. A TV channel came out with a survey declaring 52% people of Bihar preferred Nitish as CM just on the eve of vote of confidence. Who commissioned it? What was the occasion? Did such a survey take place after all?

But this was not all. The comprehensiveness of the battle strategy of Nitsh Kumar includedthreats of physical violence as well. And everyone knows he has the means to deliver them. As a studied strategy  a TV channel hosted the views of the don turned MLA that he would thrash the CM one of these days.    (I say this advisedly the because had it been otherwise the media would have lapped it up as an issue to be debated and roast the offending MLA.  After all it is not every day that the CM is openly threatened in his own state capital every day. To jog their memory when one of their kind- the reporter of a TV channel was mildly belaboured   in a friendly way by this same gentleman, they   called it the end of the world and brought the government to knees.) But Anant Singh is just the more famous   figure. Mr. Kumars army boasts of formidable warriors like Sri Munna Shukla, Sri Sunil Pandey, Sri Hulas Pandey, Sri Dhumul Singh and several others.

 For these Bahubalis   to lend their support for personal benefit is routine. What was very   stark and visible was the way media joined the party in ensuring Manjhi’s exit . Sushil Modi has asserted in a press conference that  the JD U  financed the trip of  ten media persons–one could spot the many familiar television reporters from Patna covering Nitish Kumar’s journey to the president’s house - to  Delhi. This has not been rebutted by either the many journalists who visited Delhi nor have the channels cared to clarify why the local reporters could not do the job. Why did the channel consider this event so important to fly the reporters at considerable time, money and dislocation? ObviouslySushi Modi‘s assertion is rooted in facts and it is yet another confirmation of the paid media syndrome. Well known media brands like Shanakrshan Thakur, a publicist for Nitish, and several well known other anchors went out of their way to provide platforms to him while denying it to Manjhi. In terms of newsworthiness what a ruling mahadalit CMwho is being hounded downby the so called benefactor, has greater significance. In the last fifteen days media blitz on the Bihar issue Manjhi got 1: 15 of the media time.  But that as they say is history.

Manjhi has nowcleared the air from his side. In his press conference, after his resignation, he clearly said that he was resigning from officer even though he enjoyed the majority but the atmosphere in the assembly was not conducive to a free and fair poll and he feared for his own safety and for the lives and the limbs of his supporters. He was mindful of the fact that Nitish Kumar had chosen him, a mahadalit, to lead the government. But he very soon outgrew the role of a puppet and started taking his own decisions. For good measure he openly asserted rampant corruption in government and his bid to reschedule the priority of spending – from costly, useless projects to people centric programmes –threatened the vested interests badly and his removal became necessary .He lent an official endorsement to the rumours doing the round for several years that contractors and public servants together are looting the tax payer by projects whose costs are highly inflated etc. It has also been known for quite some time that the transfer of some officers who were believed to be fund collectors for NItish Kumar was the last straw on camel’s back. Manjhi has now made it official. He also said that he had a list of such scams and he but time he would have got them investigated.Nitish can no longer evade the issues. He has now to contend with what Manjhi has alleged.

It is the media which amplifies the voice of the people , it is the media which  calls to account  those in power on behalf of the people by  dogged pursuit of facts .But it does not look like happening any time soon. Nitish as is his habit will maintain a studied silence and the media will now helpfully divert   the people’s attention by playing the old familiar sushahsan tune – perhaps the only tune that they can play.

Last but not the least:Mr. Nitish Kumar is apologizing to the people of Bihar for his mistake in having appointed him as his successor. Is it not a fact that Nitish Kumar has earned the accolades of the world by showing that he is capable of a moral stand but now as a pragmatist he must take charge of things and has dumped Manjhi? Before we forgive him,is he to be rusted? Is it not a habit with Nitish Kumar that when asked to choose between two alternatives, he chooses both? (His most recent example is that he had himself appointed as leader of the ruling party and one of his cronies to head the opposition. For more than fifteen years   he made his political career under the patronage of BJP but when his prime ministerial ambitions were threatened he dropped them like hot potatoes.His clever exploitation of the elements opposed to Laloo and when the same elements got disillusioned he dumped them to join hands against Laloo again  has few parallels in the history of Bihar. And mind you he claims that he does all this in the interest of the people of Bihar! )