Chandwa recalls its bond with Meira, slams Nitish
The people of Chandwa, the birthplace of former deputy prime minister Jagjiwan Ram, have one regret. The son of the soil and Dalit icon could not become the country’s Prime Minister.
With the Congress-led Opposition parties choosing his daughter Meira Kumar to contest against NDA candidate and former Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind in the upcoming presidential poll, they are now hopeful that with little luck, she could occupy the country’s top constitutional post. However, they accuse Bihar CM Nitish Kumar of playing spoilsport by supporting “outsider” Kovind against Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker and a Bihari.
The people of the village, located 55km west of Patna, speak fondly of their association with Ram’s family. “I know Babuji (as Ram is fondly called) and Meira behan (sister) from the day I came here as a 16-year-old bride,” said social worker and Chandwa’s former ward councillor Sharda Devi, 64. “Meiraji makes it a point to visit the village on July 7, Ram’s death anniversary. During her visit, she inquires about the welfare of our family. If she is elected President, it will be a great day for our village,” she added.
Kumar last visited Chandwa with her husband Manjul Kumar, son and two daughters on July 7, 2016, and stayed there for two days, she said. Shakuntala Devi, 55, a Mahadalit who lives in the neighbourhood of Kumar’s ancestral house, remembers the former LS Speaker for her caring nature. She, however, rued that “due to his Dalit background” Babuji could not become the PM. “We will forget the pain if Meira Ji is elected President,” she said. Shridhar Tiwary, who recently completed his PhD, credits Babuji and Kumar for bringing development to Chandwa.