Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has decided to undo the division of Scheduled Castes in the name of Dalit and Mahadalit and bring all the 23 castes under one umbrella. After the divisive line was drawn by then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in 2007 by bringing 22 castes under Mahadalit category and leaving only Paswan caste in Dalit category, there had been resentment in certain quarters and hen was accused of dividing the Dalit society, a charge the former CM always vehemently denied.
Manjhi said, “Now the discrimination between Dalit and Mahadalit will end and all the 23 Scheduled castes will be equally provided educational and other financial facilities to them indiscriminately.” He said if this section of society gets equal opportunities in the common education system there would be no need of reservation to them. After all the reservation policy of the government is not for ever, he added.
Amid the reports that Manjhi, who is deeply engaged in creating a niche for himself in the Dalit society and to project himself as a taller leader of the society having over 15% population in Bihar, he is believed to have played a master stroke to expand his social engineering formula.
Nitish had carved out Mahadalit category for the poorest and most educationally and financially backward among the Scheduled castes by excluding Paswan and some other castes. His logic was that those castes needed much assistance for their welfare and development later on at the recommendations of the Mahadalit Commission a few more castes were included in that category. But Paswan caste was kept out largely due to political reasons in bid to isolate Paswans since they were believed to be supporter of lJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan.
Paswans, said Manjhi, are also poor and need help hence there should not be any discrimination. He asked the Mahadalit Commission and Mahdalit Vikas Mission to send a proposal for including Paswan caste in the Mahadalit category. At a function of Poorest Area Civil Society and Musahar Vikas Manch, he asked the gathering to raise their hands to support his suggestion. Needless to say that all of them raised their hands amid Manjhi zindabad slogans. The CM disclosed that all the Scheduled castes would be divided into four categories on the basis of their educational status. Those having lowest literacy rate would be put in category one. Incidentally, Musahar, the CM’s caste, has literary rate in single digit.
By making this announcement, Manjhi once again reiterated his desire that the next Chief Minister should be from the Scheduled Caste. “Bihar has 1.5 crore SC population but the feudal minded people in official records and census minimize our strength. The population of Musahar is 54 lakh but official records show only 29 lakh. If Musahars are united they can control the Bihar politics on their own,” claimed Manjhi.
The CM also announced to undo yet another policy of Nitish for the benefit to school children like bicycle, uniform and books on condition that they should have 75% attendance. Manjhi said the children of Scheduled castes would be kept out of this rider.