Nitish firm on exit, picks dalit Manjhi as CM
Low- profile Bihar minister and dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi was named Monday as the state’s new chief minister by beleaguered JD( U) stalwart Nitish Kumar, who resigned two days ago taking moral responsibility for the party’s humiliating rout in the state.
Mr Manjhi, 68, now Bihar’s minister for SC/ ST welfare, is from the dirt- poor Musahar community, a sub- caste among dalits occupying the lowest place in the hierarchy and known for its wide illiteracy and customary vocation of catching rats. “Musahar” is roughly translated as “rat eaters”, and the community, classified as “mahadalit” by Mr Kumar’s government in 2007, numbers around 40 lakhs in Bihar. Mr Kumar has been assiduously wooing mahadalits, all dalit groups except Dusadhs ( Paswans), for the past several years for electoral gain.
The JD( U)’ s legislature party unanimously reelected Mr Kumar as leader for the second consecutive day Monday and urged him to resume work as CM, but he stuck to his decision to stay out of government to devote more time for the party’s revival. Bringing his eventful eight- and- a- halfyear rule to an abrupt end, Mr Kumar called his decision as “not emotional, but a well- considered political” one.
He was authorised by MLAs to choose a successor and his selection of Mr Manjhi, his loyal Cabinet colleague since 2008, surprised many in the JD( U) and outside. Mr Kumar had sprung a similar surprise in January by picking three widely unexpected Rajya Sabha nominees from the party.
“He ( Manjhi) is a very experienced leader who has contributed a lot to party,” Mr Kumar told reporters after meeting governor D. Y. Patil along with Mr Manjhi and staking claim for the JD( U) to form the government. Earlier on Monday, asking a large group of his supporters to accept his resignation as CM, Mr Kumar said: “If the people give me a mandate in 2015, I am ready to take up the responsibility again.”
Mr Kumar’s decision to step down is seen as yet another big political gamble by him after snapping ties with the BJP in June 2013.
The Opposition BJP in Bihar, stunned by outgoing chief minister Nitish Kumar’s one- upmanship of refusing to withdraw his resignation and still let the JD( U) government continue without him, attacked his choice of Jitan Ram Manjhi as the new chief minister, saying Mr Manjhi will serve as a puppet in Mr Kumar’s hands.
Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said Mr Kumar’s decision to install a leader from the marginalised mahadalit community of Musahars was a “mere symbolism devoid of substance” keeping in view the JD( U)’ s current state of disarray following its rout in the Lok Sabha polls.
Mr Modi and several senior BJP leaders stepped up their attacks on the JD( U) and Mr Kumar for indulging in what they termed as “political drama” to distract public attention from the rebellion raging in the regional party.
“This easy escape route chosen by Kumar to run the government by remote control does not seem to work under the present conditions. He has chosen a leader who can serve as a puppet in his hands just like Rabri Devi was for Lalu Prasad Yadav and Manmohan Singh was for Sonia Gandhi,” said Mr Modi to reporters.
While reiterating that the BJP did not wish to destabilise the JD( U) government, Mr Modi accused Mr Kumar of having led Bihar to “political instability and darkness”.
But the BJP, which does not want dissolution of the Assembly, appeared to be outfoxed by Mr Kumar’s gameplan and some of its leaders said the saffron party now needed to reorient its strategy to counter the JD( U), despite its demoralisation, in the context of the Bihar’s Assembly polls slated for November 2015.