The birth centenary of BP Mandal, a socialist leader and former Chief Minister of Bihar, was observed at different political platforms and CM Nitish Kumar flew to his native village Murho in Madhepura district to pay his respects.
Mandal, who authored the most talked about Mandal Commission report on reservation to backward classes, is credited with changing the political contour of the country. His report, which he submitted to then Home Minister Zail Singh under Indira Gandhi’s regime in December 1980, was dug out by VP Singh during his tenure and he announced on August 7, 1990 to implement its recommendation for 27 per cent quota for backward classes in Central Government jobs.
Singh had made this announcement to counter the BJP’s plank of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. In political parlance it was called Mandal versus Kamandal which turned out to be a violent social clash between Upper castes and backwards. The decision was challenged in the Supreme Court on August 14, 1991. A 9-member constitutional bench held the Mandal recommendations valid on November 16, 1992 and finally on September 8, 1993 the Centre issued notification for the reservation. But Mandal died on April 13, 1982.
At a function to mark the birth centenary of Mandal organised jointly by Yadav Jagran Manch, Hum Mandal ke log and Buddhijivi Mitra Mandali on Saturday hailed VP Singh for his “bold” decision and came down heavily on the leaders of backward castes who took a leaf from Mandal report and became leaders of the backward classes.
Former MP Ranjan Prasad Yadav, the chief organiser of the programme, lashed out at leaders like lalu Prasad, Sharad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav and alleged that the name Mandal became handy for them to rise and galvanise their leadership without providing any benefit to the classes they claimed to represent.
“It was B P Mandal whose report gave a new dimension to the centuries old social order and the society is obliged to VP Singh for its implementation that changed political contours of the country by sending strong tremors in the country’s politics,” said lalu’s close friend-turned-bitter enemy Ranjan Yadav.
Yadav, who demanded Bharat Ratna for Mandal, toured Bihar to arouse his community asking them to observe birth anniversary of “messiah” of backwards every year like a festival, said that he would take this message across the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
Calling Mandal a great social scientist, Yadav said his report was to uplift the backwards in all religions by recommending reservation for them in Government jobs but, he lamented, the consecutive Governments at the Centre in States went slow in its implementation and their apathetic attitude failed to provide the benefit to the class which they constitutionally deserved.