Patna, June 4: The latent tension between the NDA allies in Bihar has again surfaced following the murder of Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh “Mukhiya” and the subsequent violence across the state.
The JD(U)’s overwhelming Dalit and extremely backward cadres see a “design” in the BJP’s projection of the slain militia boss as a “martyr” and the government’s perceived weak handling of the issue that has triggered the first real crisis for the Nitish Kumar administration.
The Mahadalits and EBCs — Nitish’s assiduously carved out social base that constitutes roughly 50 per cent of the state’s population — are up in arms against the director-general of police for going “soft” on the hoodlums who held the capital to ransom, denting the chief minister’s much vaunted image of susashan.
Bihar BJP chief C.P. Thakur’s description of Brahmeshwar as “Gandhi” has added fuel to the fire. “By describing a man who faced 277 cases of murder as Gandhi, Thakur has simply emboldened the hoodlums of a particular caste who are doing everything to bring a bad name to the state,” said Rambalak Paswan, president of the JD(U)’s Dalit cell.
The BJP, which hasn’t condemned the large-scale arson during Saturday’s funeral procession, today supported the Akhil Bharatiya Rastravadi Kisan Mahasabha’s demand to hand over the murder case to the CBI. “The government should give the case to the CBI if the family members of the deceased so wish,” animal and fish resources minister Giriraj Singh of the BJP said.
Paswan and other leaders of the JD(U)’s Mahadalit and EBC cell pointed out that the first thing that Brahmeshwar’s followers did was to attack Dalit students at Ara and chased out some 200 of them from the welfare hostel there. “The 200 Dalit students are still on the streets. Nobody is talking about them,” another JD(U) Dalit leader said.
Many Dalit and EBC leaders of the party are cut up with their boss as well. “Nitish Kumar has become captive in the hands of the oppressive forces after winning on our overwhelming support,” said a leader, who did not wish to be named for obvious reasons.
Nitish, who is yet to react on the developments so far, is believed to be “anxious”.
Abhayanand, the state police chief who is under fire for not preventing the funeral flare-up, today promised “strict action” against those guilty of violence. But the JD(U) cadres are not convinced. “How can he (police) do it when the Bhumihar lobby in the ruling alliance is describing Mukhiya as Gandhi and maintaining a soft stand towards the protesters,” Paswan said.
The inherent contradictions built into the 16-year-old alliance are now becoming more pronounced. Traditionally, the BJP has been dominated by the upper castes, which have been at the centre of the landowners’ fight against the Dalits — the Ranvir Sena was a private army of upper caste landlords. On the other hand, Nitish’s JD(U) is a product of the socialist movement championing the cause of the backwards, Dalits and minorities.
Even during the Lalu-Rabri regime, several Bhumihar leaders were known for their “proximity” to the Ranvir Sena chief, who led an armed war on the Dalits organised under various Naxalite outfits.
“Nitish exploited the upper caste anger against the Lalu-Rabri regime while assiduously working to empower the EBCs and Mahadalits to widen his support base that fetched him over 206 seats,” said a senior leader.
Brahmeshwar’s murder has added a new dimension to the already strained relationship between the alliance partners.
An Akhil Bharatiya Rastravadi Kisan Mahasabha delegation met deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi today and demanded withdrawal of cases against the “protesters who indulged in some sporadic incidents in the heat of the moment”.
This too has not gone down well with the JD(U). They interpret the Mahasabha as the “new avatar” of the Ranvir Sena while believing that many of the delegation members themselves may have been party to the vandalism.
The mistrust in the rank and file of the ruling partners is threatening to snowball.
