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Journalism of Courage
With the game of numbers set to begin in Bihar, the one man whose actions will be most closely watched is Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha. The BJP MLA – who has had run-ins with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the past — has already given one sign of what might be coming when, amidst much raised eyebrows, he was reported to be Covid positive when the JD(U) and RJD made their first moves on Monday, only to report Covid-negative within 24 hours as the dice appeared to have been rolled.
Then, on Monday night, following his fast-track recovery from Covid, one of the first people Sinha met was members of the Ethics Committee of the Assembly, headed by BJP leader Ram Narayan Mandal. While Mandal declined to divulge details, sources in the BJP said the report was about an incident of March 2021, when RJD MLAs had held the Speaker “hostage” and police had to be called to the Assembly. Sources said the report indicts about 18 MLAs.
As per procedure, these MLAs will receive a notice on the advice of the Speaker, who may decide further action, and even order disqualification. With 79 MLAs, the RJD is the single-largest party in the Assembly. Any change in numbers will, of course, have repercussions on which government takes over.
The incident dates back to March 23, 2021, when the Assembly had passed the Special Armed Police Act, giving more powers to police to search people, without a warrant, and make arrests, amid protests by Opposition MLAs. RJD MLAs had rushed to Speaker Sinha’s chair, torn papers and laid siege to his chambers, virtually holding him hostage inside. Police had to be called in, to remove the protesting MLAs, with many of them dragged and carried out on stretchers.
A Bhumihar leader, an engineer by qualification and a dedicated RSS worker, Sinha is the BJP’s first-ever Bihar Speaker. He was a surprise choice for the post, and believed to have been picked essentially to keep the upper caste leadership of the party happy. A three-time MLA and former state minister, he has been winning from the Lakhisarai Assembly seat since 2010.
In the latest instance of tension between them, Nitish had taken exception to Sinha omitting his name in the invitations sent out to mark anniversary celebrations of the Bihar Vidhan Sabha. As per JD(U) sources, that was one of the triggers for Nitish to end his alliance with the BJP.
However, before that too, the Assembly was witness to an unusual showdown between the usually calm Chief Minister and the Speaker. On March 14, a heated exchange took place between the two on whether a matter being probed by the government, which had also been referred to a privilege committee, could be raised on the floor of the House time and again. Nitish made his displeasure evident when Sinha asked Cabinet minister Bijendra Yadav to apprise the House of the steps taken in an incident involving police action in Lakhisarai, for the second time. Lakhisarai is Sinha’s constituency.
The incident involved alleged violation of the liquor prohibition law in Lakhisarai during Saraswati Puja by people with links to the BJP. Sinha claimed that “mere spectators” were rounded up by police, while organisers with reportedly JD(U) links were let off. BJP MLAs moved a privilege notice against Lakhisarai DySP Ranjan Kumar and two SHOs for alleged misconduct with Sinha when he raised the issue.
Following the altercation with Nitish, Sinha had excused himself from the Chair, with the CM later meeting him in the day for a reconciliation. The next day, the Speaker had said the “kaala adhyaya (dark chapter)” must be closed and forgotten, while quoting from a poem by the late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ‘Kadam milakar chalna hoga (We must march together)’.
Weeks later, Lakhisarai got a new Deputy Superintendent of Police.
However, Sinha has often rubbed own party leaders the wrong way. In March 2021, Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad had accused the Chair of extending “sanrakshan (patronage)” to Tejashwi, the Leader of the Opposition. Sinha had reacted, saying: “Those who resolve to act in a transparent manner, cannot keep all happy.”
The same month, the Bihar House witnessed a confrontation between JD(U) Panchayati Raj Minister Samrat Chaudhary and the Speaker. Sinha had complained about online replies not reaching his office. Chaudhary contested this, adding: “Vyakul hone se kaam nahin chalega (Getting restless will not do)”.
After Sinha stayed away when the House reassembled following an adjournment over the remarks, Chaudhary had offered an apology.
