In this corner of Bihar, R in RJD stands for Rajput

Sub Divisional Officer: Abhimanyu Singh; Police Officer-in-Charge: Kamal Kishore Singh; Manager, Cooperative Bank: Treta Nath Singh; Manager...

Sub Divisional Officer: Abhimanyu Singh; Police Officer-in-Charge: Kamal Kishore Singh; Manager, Cooperative Bank: Treta Nath Singh; Manager, Gramin Bank: Braj Kishore Singh. This list goes on. In the Madhuban Assembly segment of Bihar’s East Champaran, represented for the last 15 years by the family of Sitaram Singh, Rajputs occupy most official positions.

Madhuban negates almost every RJD claim—of social justice, or the charge that its detractors have a caste-bias. Because Sitaram Singh, once a powerful minister in the governments of Laloo and Rabri Devi and now the RJD MP from Sheohar, has ensured only men from his caste occupy key positions.

Singh’s son Rana Randhir Singh has managed a party ticket again. Though he won the February Assembly elections by a slender margin, he has been given another chance since this is the family turf. In fact, in Madhuban, men from Laloo’s caste are pitted against the official RJD candidate. Something which Laloo’s immediate rival, Nitish Kumar of the JD(U), has been quick to spot. Nitish has fielded a Yadav, Shivjee Rai, as the JD(U) candidate.

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Said Sitaram Singh: ‘‘Those who have lost popular support are spreading such nonsense. There are officials from the backward and Dalit communities too,’’ he told The Indian Express. What he didn’t say was that the BDOs of Pakri Dayal and Madhuban, a Yadav and a Dalit, were brought in only after a recent Maoist attack.

Many in Madhuban don’t agree with him. ‘‘Laloo Yadav’s social justice does not work here. Right from the chapraasi in the government office to Sitaram Singh, everyone’s a Rajput,’’ says Nagendra Rai of Chorma. And Yadavs here are not the only ones annoyed with the RJD. It’s true of the backwards and Dalits too. For 15 years, they didn’t dare to go near the booths. Now they want a booth in their own village.

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Himanta’s bid to arm people off to slow start: 266 applications, none accepted

India2 hr ago

Assam government's portal for indigenous citizens to seek arms licenses has received 266 applications. Most applications are from Muslim-majority districts, but 28 have been rejected and none have been accepted. Eligibility criteria include being an indigenous citizen, 21 years old, and residing in a vulnerable area. The government aims to protect those in sensitive areas, not arm young people.

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