Mahakar, Feb. 12: Just 15, Chandan Manjhi is disturbed.
The Class X student cycles 5km from Mahakar everyday to reach a high school in Naya Bazaar.
Reading out headlines from a vernacular daily at a tea stall a day after Nitish Kumar admitted that making Jitan Ram Manjhi the chief minister was a mistake, his primary concern was the future of the high school in his village and not the political turmoil involving his caste man.
Pointing to an under construction building beside the main road leading to Mahakar, Chandan said on Wednesday it is the proposed high school.
"Once it comes up, the children of Mahakar will not have to walk or pedal 10km a day for high school education. Agar Manjhi chahcha mukhyamantri nahi rahe, yeh uchcha vidyalay kab tak banega kya pata (If Manjhi uncle doesn't remain the chief minister, nobody knows when the construction of the high school will be over)," said the boy surrounded by villagers, eager to know what Nitish said about Manjhi in Patna on Tuesday.
After reading out the rest of the headlines on pages 2 and 3 of the daily, Chandan told The Telegraph: "I thought classes would start in the high school by the next financial year and my juniors would be able to study there. If we don't have to toil to reach classrooms daily, we can devote more energy in studies and excel in examinations."
Like a typical "me and myself" urban citizen of India, Chandan - a resident of the village housing chief minister Manjhi's ancestral home - said the power struggle in Patna could cast a shadow on the future of students like him eager to excel in education. But villagers senior to him were simmering in anger over the likely removal of Manjhi as chief minister and the alleged humiliation meted out to him by Nitish and company.
The common sentiment in Mahakar under Khisersarai block of Gaya, around 78km south of Patna, is that Manjhi has been betrayed. The villagers pledged to stand by "their man" in time of crisis, who once helped Nitish reach out to Mahadalits.
The populace of Mahakar is a mix of Yadavs, Bhumihars and Mahadalits. It is the abode of around 50 Yadav families, 10 Bhumihar families and eight Mahadalit families.
A Bhumihar, Lal Singh said: "Nitish has betrayed Manjhi. The so-called messiah of the lower strata of the society should have allowed Manjhi to complete his tenure." The elderly farmer said: "Removing Manjhi midway will not augur well for Nitish and his JDU."
Middle school teacher Mritunjay Kumar said: "We are from the upper caste (Bhumihars) but Manjhiji has done a lot for the development of our village. He listens to people irrespective of castes."
Six-time MLA Manjhi represents Makhdumpur (reserved) Assembly constituency in Jehanabad. Mahakar is under Atri Assembly constituency.
Taking a dig at the local legislator Krishnanandan Yadav, farmer Raj Vallabh Singh said: "Krishnanandan was given the JDU ticket because of Manjhi's influence. He was once loyal to Manjhi, but has now joined the Nitish camp."
The villagers are cut up with Nitish's aide Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh as well. "Lallan is our caste man but he is a political turncoat. He is the main conspirator," said farmer Lal Singh.
