Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV.
Nitish Kumar again behaved ridiculously on Thursday, again used indecent language, again abused. Two days ago Nitish had insulted women in the assembly. On Thursday, he insulted a senior Mahadalit leader in the Assembly and the Chief Minister went on a tirade. Former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi was called mad, senseless and what not. No one can expect the form of Nitish Kumar shown in the last two days from a person sitting on the Chief Minister’s chair. Nitish told Jitan Ram Manjhi in the assembly that I made him the Chief Minister, it was my foolishness, it was my donkey-pachee that made him the Chief Minister, now he is running after BJP, wants to become the Governor, he needs something. You know, he has some sense too, he keeps saying anything. Imagine, these are the same words which Nitish Kumar, in his capacity as a Chief Minister, said to a former Chief Minister in the Assembly. Seeing this form of Nitish, all the MLAs present in the House, from the Speaker to the common people sitting in the audience gallery, reporters sitting in the press gallery as well as people from JD-U and RJD were surprised. The Speaker interrupted, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Chaudhary, sitting next to Nitish, tried to make him sit by holding his hand but Nitish Kumar kept on speaking. Not once, but again and again. Nitish Kumar abused Jitan Ram Manjhi for about three minutes. Manjhi showed wisdom, showed nobility, did not say anything, remained silent, but it made no difference to Nitish. When BJP leaders opposed this, Nitish once again repeated the same things. After this there was a huge uproar. The proceedings of the House continued amid the uproar. Government bills were also passed. But Nitish’s rhetoric again became an issue.
BJP made the insult of Mahadalit a big issue. Before Nitish Kumar’s misbehavior, the biggest news was that on Thursday the Bihar Assembly passed a proposal to increase the reservation quota in jobs, colleges and other educational institutions from 50 percent to 65 percent. Now including 10 percent reservation for economically weaker sections, there will be 75 percent reservation in Bihar. No party opposed this bill. RJD and JD-U MLAs were excited about increasing the reservation limit. This bill was being discussed. During this debate, Manjhi stood up to speak. Could speak for a total of one and a half minutes. Manjhi expressed his views very politely. Said, Sir, they feel that the caste census has only been done on paper, hence those who really need reservation will not get justice from these figures, they will not get any benefit. Manjhi said that there is a provision to review the reservation every ten years, the government should find out whether the classes for which there is a reservation system, are they really getting the benefit of reservation? The government has not done this till now, so just increasing the reservation limit will do nothing. That’s all, Manjhi could speak, during this time Nitish Kumar stood up and started abusing Manjhi. Nitish’s style was very shameful, indecent, indecent, against the dignity of the post of Chief Minister. Nitish not only insulted Jitan Ram Manjhi, he also insulted the Speaker and the Assembly, tarnishing his post. Nitish Kumar was speaking in such a manner as if in olden times moneylenders used to insult poor and lower caste people and considered them their slaves.
MLAs from both the ruling party and the opposition were surprised at this stance of Nitish. His ministers tried to stop the Chief Minister, the Speaker asked him to remain calm but he did not stop. Even when BJP MLAs came in front of the Speaker’s podium, Nitish did not realize his mistake. Jitan Ram Manjhi did not give any reply to Nitish in the House, he walked out of the House sad. The assembly proceedings were adjourned. BJP MLAs started protesting against the mistreatment of Jitan Ram Manjhi. Manjhi said that he could not believe that this is the same Nitish Kumar who was there ten years ago, he did not feel bad after listening to Nitish, he felt sad because Nitish is not a common man, he is the head of Bihar, the Chief Minister. And if a Chief Minister talks to another leader in the House in harsh language, insults the former Chief Minister, this is not good for Bihar. Manjhi said that he feels that the mental balance of the Chief Minister has deteriorated. They need treatment. When the controversy escalated, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav came forward to defend Nitish. Tejashwi said that the Chief Minister did not make any anti-Dalit statement, he himself was present there. Tejashwi said that the government has done the historic work of increasing reservation, but BJP does not want this achievement of the government to reach the public, hence it is creating unnecessary controversy.
Tejashwi Yadav also knows that what Nitish said, the manner in which he said it, the words in which he said it, was not right. But he is the Deputy Chief Minister, so it is his compulsion to defend the Chief Minister. But defending what Nitish said is also shameless, because Nitish’s behavior is against our culture, tradition, democratic decorum and dignity of office. It is true that Nitish is the Chief Minister, but Jitan Ram Manjhi is not only a Mahadalit, but is also older than Nitish in age and has more political experience than Nitish. Nitish should have at least taken care of age, but he did not take care of it either. As far as making Jitan Ram Manjhi the Chief Minister is concerned, Nitish Kumar forgot that Jitan Ram Manjhi has won elections more times than him. Manjhi became an MLA for the first time in 1980, when he was a minister in the then government. Nitish Kumar won the first election in 1985. When he was an MLA, Manjhi was a minister. Manjhi was a minister in the governments of three Chief Ministers of Congress, was a minister in the governments of Lalu and Rabri, was also a minister in Nitish’s government but never betrayed any of his leaders. Whereas Nitish’s entire political career is one of fraud. First he betrayed Lalu, then he betrayed George Fernandes, then he stabbed Sharad Yadav in the back and with the help of BJP, he turned the tables when he sat on the chair. Became Chief Minister with Lalu’s help, then turned the tables, then joined BJP, and then went away with Lalu. Tejashwi also used to call Nitish Paltu Chacha. Therefore, Nitish has absolutely no right to say about anyone else that he is greedy for power and chair.
As far as making Manjhi the Chief Minister is concerned, this was also a political move of Nitish, a drama, in which Manjhi got trapped. Nitish had handed over the chair to Manjhi just to get the sympathy of Dalits and to get votes and when the work was done, he removed him insultingly and then sat on the chair. This is the character of Nitish. Lalu Yadav said not once but many times that Nitish has teeth in his stomach, he can cheat anyone. But all this keeps happening in politics, that is why Nitish kept escaping. But in the last two days he broke all limits. The way he insulted Manjhi inside the House, it seemed that Nitish had really lost his mental balance. How can he insult a Mahadalit, a former Chief Minister, an elderly person and a leader more senior than him like this? If Nitish cannot maintain the dignity of the chair on which he is sitting, then Lalu Yadav, who made him the Chief Minister, should think about what he did? It is possible that Nitish will say tomorrow that a mistake was made, he is forgiven, he is ashamed, condemns himself, but if he does so, it will be a show because on Tuesday he insulted women, on Wednesday he insulted women all day long. Kept walking around with folded hands, kept apologizing, but on Thursday insulted a former Chief Minister in a public meeting. Nitish Kumar has been the Chief Minister of Bihar for 18 years. But in the last three days, Nitish Kumar crossed all limits. Whatever he said has ruined his public image. First obscene talk about women and now abuses against the former Chief Minister. Such behavior is neither good for Bihar nor for Lalu Yadav’s RJD. If Nitish Kumar has lost his mental balance and is not in his senses, then it is dangerous to have the command of Bihar in the hands of such a person. If Nitish Kumar is in his right mind and is using such language in full consciousness, then it is even more dangerous. Such a person is not fit to remain the Chief Minister of Bihar. Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav should think for how long will they bear the burden of such Nitish Kumar? For how long will we keep a person who commits such shameful acts on the post of Chief Minister? How long will we continue to run Nitish’s government to serve our political interests? (Rajat Sharma)
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