Only on Thursday, one of the key constituents of the opposition alliance, Jitan Ram Manjhi, chief of HAM along with the Chandrika Rai, an old trusted friend of Lalu and the father in law of his eldest son Tej Pratap joined Nitish Kumar led JD(U). No doubt none of the two leaders were heavy weight in the state politics, but they commanded significant respect in the social and political circle of the state. Manjhi is acknowledged as the harijan and dalit face and Rai is son of prominent Yadav leader late Daroga Rai.

Manjhi for quite some time has been feeling ignored by Tejashvi. If Manjhi aides are to be believed, he was systematically side-lined. With his departure the opposition conglomerate is left without any dalit face. The dalits constitute at least 27 per cent of the total electorate in Bihar. Manjhi has joined JD(U) when the Congress has been desperately trying to resurrect its relation with the Dalits.

In neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is trying hard to woo Dalits as well as Brahmins simultaneously in an attempt to carve out a political space for itself. Only yesterday its general secretary Priyanka Gandhi sent a delegation of Congress leaders led by Maharashtra minister and the party’s SC department head Nitin Raut, UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu and AICC general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP P L Punia to Azamgarh, to probe the killing of a Dalit village head who was shot allegedly by upper castes. In this backdrop, pushing out Manjhi, the only dalit face, casts suspicion on the intention of Tejashvi.

Tejashvi has also been nursing illusory notion that the Yadavs, his caste men were with him. But he is mistaken. Being the son of Lalu Yadav does not certify his credential of being the Yadav heir apparent. It is said that in recent times, a large number of rich and well off Yadavs have shifted their loyalty to BJP and JD(U). The economically poor Yadavs are not so enthusiastic of his leadership. There is a lingering view that he is more close to the rich people. This has yet another major reason for Yadavs keeping away. Tejashvi ought to realise the difference between being the son of Lalu, and of not being the Lalu Yadav.

Ironically a section of the Congress leaders and some Yadav leaders from CPI(ML) Liberation have been making him feel as the Yadav leader. A senior CPI(ML) leader however confided that this situation has been harming the interest of the party. He asserted that the party must use the situation to strengthen its old support base of Yadavs and Dalits. It must not rely on Tejashvi which eventually would prove to be counterproductive.

However, the leaders of the left parties are trying to forge a greater unity of the left and democratic forces. They also plan to form a core committee of the leaders of the leftist parties to apprise the national leaders of all parties, especially the Congress, of the ground realities prevailing in the state. A source close to CPI confided that Prof Arun Kumar is the candidate for MLC election from Darbhanga. He is the old hand and is in comfortable position. But suddenly the Congress has staked the claim for the same for the state chief of the party. The national leadership of Congress has pressurising the Bihar CPI to withdraw Arun Kumar. The national leadership of Congress has even reached out to the CPI national secretary D Raja to withdraw their candidate.

The Left leaders feel that while the Congress is not willing to explore fertile land for its expansion, this strategy will simply weaken the opposition forces which have got influence in some isolated areas, Darbhanga being one of them. This will further weaken the left forces which are already gasping for survival. The left leaders feel that the Congress should take the initiative of forging the greater unity of the opposition to defeat the NDA in Bihar.

These leaders are also highly critical of the role of the Election Commission which is hell bent to conduct elections to the 243-member legislative assembly in November. In this backdrop the political parties would have to hit the battle ground well before time. Naturally the mass politics will return. How could the ill equipped opposition face the ruling party is a matter to be answered by the opposition leaders.

With corona rendering the state level political system ineffective, the initiative has to come from national leaders. It is also significant that Bihar will be voting in the backdrop of the economic distress where still crores of families of the daily wage earners have no job. They are virtually on the thresh hold of starvation and hunger. While these issues provide an opportunity for the Opposition to regroup and assert themselves against the ruling party, but the signals from Bihar are not encouraging and reassuring. They are in wilderness.

Whatever little hope is left is being squandered by the reckless approach of the RJD. The people, particularly the left and democratic forces are aghast at the RJD’s opposition to using the talent of the young face of CPI, Kanhaiya Kumar, in the elections. Tejashvi has made it categorically clear that he would not accept him. Indeed bizarre are the objections raised by the RJD. It argues that Kumar belongs to Bhumihar community which has antagonistic relations with Yadavs.

But experts have their argument; the RJD did not find any problem while recently nominating a Bhumihar to Rajya Sabha. Besides there are a number of Bhumihars holding key positions in the RJD. Why then Tejashvi is opposed to Kanhaiya. The only tangible reason that comes from the left and democratic circle is; Tejashvi is scared of his political maturity. They feel Tejashvi is no match for Kanhaiya. With Kanhaiya in action, Tejashvi would lose much of his shine. (IPA Service)