Patna,(BiharTimes): Even as former Bihar chief minister and leader of Hindustani Awam Morcha, Jitan Ram Manjhi was saying in Patna that he and his family members would henceforth not take reservation benefits and contest the next parliamentary and Assembly elections from unreserved constituencies Union food minister and leader of LJP––another constituent of the National Democratic Alliance––Ram Vilas Paswan, while speaking in Ahmedabad, sought quota in private sector.

Another Dalit leader from the state, Shyam Rajak of Janata Dal (United) went on to demand reservation both in private sector and judiciary.

Whether Manjhi is serious, or just wants to be counted in the good book of the Sangh Parivar, whose leaders have, in the recent months, repeatedly been calling for review in the reservation policy? Or is he just saying so for the public consumption and may not actually do so at the time of election. After all politicians are known for not fulfilling the promises.

Anyway, this is perhaps for the first time that any Dalit politician of Bihar––may be of the country––has in a way raised the issue of creamy layer among Dalits. Till now the concept of creamy layer in jobs and education are confined to the backward castes. Besides, there is no reseved seats in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for the OBCs as for the SCs and STs.

But there is no dearth of people, who are not taking Manjhi seriously. Even as the chief minister he used to shoot his mouth off.

Once he even called for the chopping off the hands of errant doctors. And when he had said that the upper castes are outsiders and SCs and STs original people of the country, the BJP leaders––then baying for his blood––denounced him.

What Manjhi said on March 21 can be taken with a pinch of salt. But at least he had offered what Meira Kumar, daughter of former deputy prime minister Jagjiwan Ram, Ram Vilas Paswan and many others have not. The first named is a former IFS officer, and Speaker during the UPA rule.

Paswan, who is in electoral politics for the last 47 years, has already got his son and brothers politically established. Yet he had not made any such announcement.

In contrast Manjhi, who comes from the weakest of the Mahadalit castes, is the first generation politician and none from his family has managed to enter any House.

The issue of creamy layer in job and education is somewhat different from the reserved seats for the SCs dnd STs in Lok Sabha and Assemblies––not Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council. Manjhi has at least sparked off a new debate by stating that he and any member of his family would contest the election on general seat.

But the big question is: will Manjhi be able to win any such election from reserved seat when he just managed to win from one of the two seats. His other family relatives lost. His party HAM could win the lone seat, when it contested in alliance with the BJP.

Bihar watchers are of the view that Manjhi, by his statements, wants to remain alive in the media. As in the post-poll Bihar he has become politically irrelevant and has lost all his bargaining position before the BJP, he has been giving such statements. In the past too he had said that Mohan Bhagwat’s September 25 statement on reservation did not cause defeat of the NDA in the Bihar Assembly election.

“Manjhi wants to keep the BJP bigwigs in the good humour,” said an analyst, who wished not to be quoted.

But experts on Dalit politics like Prof Vivek Kumar of JNU, feels that perhaps no SC, ST leader may win if the system of reserved seat is abolished.