With Jan Surraj, finding traction with Biharis, the chances of the leadership vision of Prashant Kishor succeeding in the state riven by caste, purportedly appears to prove as an exception rather than a rule.
Vivekanand Jha Ranchi: Sitting with the editor of Indian Nation, the then English daily, once the pride of the state, had begun languishing on the periphery; in fact, was almost flickering to get its flame extinguished anytime, the then editor had ruefully burst forth, ‘ You have been in Patna for quite sometime. Have you seen the state of tea stalls in the streets, with the customers thronging there discussing politics? Perhaps, you would never come across such random political discussions anywhere as you see here in Patna tea stalls. Why? It is all because of Jayaprakash Narayan, the so- called Loknayak. In fact, this unproductive chats on politics to while away one’s time, you can see in tea stalls, every nook and corner of this city and the state, is the sole contribution of Jayaprakash Narayan. He was the leader who had degenerated the state into such deplorable state where everyone knows politics, and none knows his or her work’, the editor concluded with a sign of disgust apparent at his face. Unequivocally, I could hardly help but concur with his observation, as my experience of Patna, for my stay over the last few days, appeared to suggest the same: the men gossiping in the tea stall, indeed pretended to be knowing more about the leaders of different parties. In fact, the situations I had witnessed in Calcutta, the tea stalls in Patna, went far ahead in terms of ramblings and fillibusters at far greater degree than even the ones witnessed in parliament or state legislatures. Regrettably, Bihar as a laggard state of Union, smacked of its own multiple vulnerabilities, the conspicuous of which was its vast unproductive population was engaged in wanton exercise of squandering its productive capacity in sheer nonsensical gossips. Interestingly, Bihar, I felt, could not benefit, even by few notches, in its embracing modernity, notwithstanding the fact that Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan had sounded bugle of throwing out the autocratic Indira Gandhi regime from power.
Jayaprakash Narayan, as I later threw my searchlight upon, despite being a great leader for the nation, significantly proved to ameliorate the lots of his own state. Bihar had continued to languish on the periphery of national evolution. Worse still, whereas Biharis outside Bihar, had evolved themselves–rising in different walks of life–Biharis staying in Bihar, remained mired in the feudalistic mindset. Little wonder then the tag of ‘ Bihari’, having a pejorative connotation, continued to remain inextricably linked with the Biharis working out of the state. Moreover, the advent of Mandal Commission had spelt doom for the state already battling the behemoth of caste conundrum. The unprecedented polarisation of Biharis along the caste line, sought to tear the state asunder. The caste flame was stoked by politicians like Laloo Yadav to divide the society further along the caste line. This was the catastrophe which had set the state afire; sequestering it from its moorings where the provincial consciousness stood relegated to the caste identity assuming the pivotal significance. Bihar, ever since the advent of Mandal Commission, distressingly slipped down the line in terms of developmental politics. The meritocratic structure of the society stood suspended as the sense of belonging of caste bonhomie, assumes the paramount position. No wonder then the state for decades, was ruled by two families: Laloo Yadav and Nitish Kumar. The caste factor upended the meritocratic structure of the society. The proximity to power, was construed as the most definitive criterion for disbursing favour.
In democracy, it is often said, that the people deserve the government they have. No wonder the people of Bihar, notwithstanding their exodus from the state in search of bread and butter, where scores of people were stuffed inside the dingy in metropolises like Mumbai and Delhi; where Biharis served as the fodder for factories in Gujarat and Maharastra, yet back home, they rooted for Laloo in the name of caste. Worse still, during Corona, when Biharis were desperately seeking to return home from their adopted states, with their workplace being shut, the chief minister Nitish Kumar gloated over their nemesis; in fact, the sense of schadenfruide had deeply engulfed him: he arbitrarily ordered for the borders of Bihar to be sealed. Paradoxically, the same chief minister had the brazen audacity to tomtom his Bihari identity of winning municipal elections in 2017, when he sought to develop an emotional affinity with them in the name of Bihari identity, ‘ Han, ham Bihari hain’, Nitin had euphorically burst forth.
With the nation progressing by leaps and bounds under the leadership of Narendra Modi, Bihar continues to languish at the periphery of the national developmental paradigm. With the stereotypical nature of politicians bent upon inciting and exploiting this caste divide, Bihar was almost losing hope of sanity returning to the state. Further, the political destiny of the state invariably linked with the dynasty of Laloo Yadav, the glory of erstwhile Mgadha empire, where Bihar held the promise and hope for the geographical boundary of India, almost appeared like a sweet dream, the state was desperately calling for some fresh energy, a leadership vision to show the right path to the direction less people of the state. No wonder the ascendancy of Prashant Kishor with a vision, backed by the material resources, is the blessings in disguise for the benighted people of the state. Better still, Prashant Kishor’s avowed mission to transform Bihar; to ensure that the state not only sheds its laggard status, but develop the wherewithal to provide jobs to the youth, to the tune of rupees ten to fifteen thousand rupees per month, is the ambitious project which has the potential to attain fruition under his leadership vision. And if it does succeed, it will be a revolution in the country. Moreover, Prashant Kishor’s invocation that Biharis are not meant to be suppliers of labour to different states like Gujarat and Maharastra, has begun resonating with the people of Bihar, yet how far it will tangibly translate into votes, in the state which is notorious for voting along the caste lines, is the matter of speculation. All said and done! Prashant Kishor is the last hope of the state for its liberation from the dystopia. Incidentally, the clarion call of Jayaprakash Narayan of Sampoorna Kranti( total revolution) has abysmally failed to take its roots in India or in the state of Bihar, yet Jan Surraj, the movement spearheaded by Prashant Kishor, appears to be gaining traction with the people of Bihar, for the vision of Sampoorna Kranti was hazy and discreet, whereas the vision of Jan Surraj of Prashant Kishor is absolutely clear and distinct; it showcases the surer agenda for uplifting Bihar from its abysmal state of affairs. Prashant Kishor, heeding to the clarion call of Gurudev Tagore, ‘ Jodi tor dak sune kyou na ashey, tahole aekla chalo re’, had begun walking all alone to provide the sunshine to the people of the state, the caravan began forming behind him. It is hitherto the most constructive and creative Movement to have ever happened to Bihar to genuinely empower the people. Unequivocally then, this is the most pertinent time for the people of the state to heed the vision of Yes, I am Bihari, where this writer had given a clarion call: ‘ I am not Barka nor Chotka; neither I am a Babhan nor a Solkhan, I am only a Bihari’. This too is the vision of Jan Surraj of Prashant Kishor. Every single Bihari must rise in support of furthering the vision of Jan Surraj of its leader Prashant Kishor. Let Bihar, as Prashant sincerely aspires, be an employer state, giving a decent burial to its hitherto status of being the coolies and Majdoors thronging the cities and towns in different parts of India begging for jobs. This transformation of state, every Bihari should make his or her dream. In short, will Prashant Kishor succeed with his mission of Jan Surraj, where Jayaprakash Narayan had drastically failed with his Sampoorna Kranti, is the million dollar’s question? Yet the hunch of the author of Yes, I am Bihari says, ‘ Prashant Kishor will surely succeed as his ambition is the aspiration of every single Bihari living across the world.
Vivekanand Jha is an author of Yes, I am Bihari, which was launched on the occasion of Bihar Diwas 2016 by the chief minister Nitish Kumar in the presence of his Cabinet ministers, with the conspicuous presence of Sri Prashant Kishor, the leader of Jan Surraj, rather a revolutionary to revolutionise the collective psyche of Biharis.
He is an Author, Academician and a Public Intellectual.
