At Mandal Ground Zero, plea for jobs, education, ‘real social justice’

As Bihar CM and Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar rides on the state’s caste survey released last year and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pledges a nationwide caste census as part of the Congress plank in the Lok Sabha elections, it appears development has clearly bypassed Mandal’s village.

A key torchbearer of the country’s social justice politics, Mandal’s vision spawned a slew of socialist leaders, including Samajwadi Party (SP) founder late Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Nitish Kumar. Mandal’s ancestral house and the memorial in his name are among the few concrete structures in Murho village.

The house of Bhagalpur region’s first MP Kirai Musahar. (Express photo by Deeptiman Tiwary)

Sitting under the shade of bamboo trees adjoining his hut, Musahar’s grandson Jivachh Rishidev says, “The social justice movement was frittered away by Lalu and Nitish as both began catering to their respective castes. Dalits have got nothing from either. They continue to remain the poorest of the lot.”

His brother Umesh, who is also active in politics locally and works with former Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav, adds, “Look at our own house. Have you seen a former MP’s house like this? For all the talk of Mahadalits, what is the condition of Mahadalits here? Look at the condition of the village.”

Vote share in the Madhepura Lok Sabha seat.

Belonging to the Mahadalit community, Kirai Musahar had won the Bhagalpur Lok Sabha constituency (Madhepura was then its part), in 1952, representing the Socialist Party.

After the Madhepura parliamentary constituency was carved out of Bhagalpur, Mandal won the 1967 polls on the Samyukta Socialist Party (SSP) ticket. He became the Bihar CM in 1968 for a brief period.

Mandal, who was from the Yadav community, would later go on to chair the Second Backward Classes Commission and author the seminal Mandal Commission report during 1978-80, which recommended quotas in government jobs for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The Mandal panel report was implemented by the V P Singh government in 1990 leading to the emergence of formidable regional parties in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

As Madhepura, a constituency dominated by Yadavs, goes to polls in the third phase on May 7, for many residents of Murho, the illustrious history of social justice originating from their village, among other places, seems to have lost much of its meaning. The village is predominantly inhabited by Yadavs, with its other communities including some other OBC groups like Kurmi and Pachpania as well as Mahadalits.

“My entire life has been spent under a thatched roof,” says Dinesh Yadav, 70. “What can I expect now. I am now just counting my days.”

Chandan Yadav. (Express photo by Deeptiman Tiwary)

Chandan Yadav, 25, is chopping cattle feed under a tin shed. In a corner there, lies a white board with math equations scribbled on it while open books are strewn on a bed. Despite having a B.Ed degree and an ITI certificate, Chandan has been, unsuccessfully, looking for a job for the past few years. In his free time, he teaches school children in the village for a fee. He is angry with all parties.

“No one is talking about real issues. The real issue is unemployment. Elders told me to do BA, B.Ed to get into teaching line. I did, but did not get a job. Then they said, go for ITI to get into railways. I did, still no luck. Now I have filled the form for a peon’s post, but no exams have been conducted for over a year,” says Chandan.

“All parties talk about social justice, but real social justice would be economic empowerment. One guy gets a job in the family and the entire family is lifted. Why do I have to give tuitions? It is because the government school is not teaching properly. What social justice can be achieved without education?” he asks.

Narendra Das, a village shopkeeper belonging to the Pachpania (OBC Bania) community, says no politician comes to the village and that no development has take place there in years. “The Jal Nal scheme does not give good quality water. While taps have been installed, there are no drains in the village. No one comes to pick up the garbage here either. The PM Awas Yojana has not even reached here,” he says.

Umesh Rishidev, grandson of Bhaglapur region’s first MP Kirai Musahar. (Express photo by Deeptiman Tiwary)

There are some staunch RJD supporters though, who assert that roads have been built in the village in the past few years and that farmers have been getting good price for their maize crops.

Anand Mandal, BP Mandal’s grandnephew and an RJD leader, seeks to put things into perspective. “Social justice is not merely an ideology. It is also a movement. Unfortunately, those who rose from this movement got engaged in either promoting their family or grabbing power. But as long as there is socio-economic inequity, socialism will survive,” he says.

In the 2019 polls in Madhepura, the JD(U)’s Dinesh Chandra Yadav had defeated Sharad Yadav, who contested on the RJD ticket, by over 3 lakh votes.

This time, the incumbent MP Dinesh is pitted against the RJD’s Chandradeep Yadav, the son of educationist and ex-MP Ramendra Kumar Ravi, in what may reflect a keen contest between the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA alliance.