“If one asks me to draw a picture of Bihar during my term as CM, I will not draw any building, road or bridge but of girls cycling their way to schools,” Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar recently told this to The Indian Express journalist Santosh Singh (quoted in Santosh Singh’s book Ruled or Misruled: Story and destiny of Bihar). It was all because of a scheme called Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana launched in 2006. So enduring has its impact been in the state that the girls’ enrolment in schools has gone up by nearly five times in the last nine years.
Perhaps a Lohiaite in Nitish helped him conceive and execute this scheme with so much of passion. If one takes his other decision of reserving 50 per cent of seats for women in panchayats into account, one gets a much clearer picture of how Nitish Kumar went about the task of fighting gender injustice. And doing away with gender-based discrimination was one of the many goals socialist politician Ram Manohar Lohia had set for parties that were to challenge the Congress rule in the country.
Lohia Committed to Women’s Empowerment
A small glimpse at a public rally in Patna in early 1967 was all that was required for Nitish Kumar to become a life-long Lohiaite. Perhaps no other Indian politician has followed the socialist politician like Nitish has, in letter, if not fully, in spirit. While Lohia is known more for his Pichare Paye Sau Mein Saath (60% for backwards) slogan, it was his strong advocacy for women empowerment that was ahead of its times. In the 1950s and 60s, he spoke in favour of unmarried motherhood and the right of women to choose their life partners without being constrained by caste barriers.
It is perhaps Lohia’s influence that women’s representation in Bihar assembly has been one of the highest in the country. The outgoing state assembly had 34 women MLAs (second only to 35 in Uttar Pradesh) which translates to 14% of the total strength of legislative assembly. It is heartening to note that the number has been going up since 2005, the year Nitish Kumar took charge of the state.
A Tale of Two Lohiaites
- First phase of Bihar polls coincides with the death anniversary of Lalu and Nitish’s political mentor, Ram Manohar Lohia
- A Lohiaite in Nitish helped him conceive progressive social schemes such as bicycle scheme for girl students
- Lohia’s demand for gender justice manifests itself in the Bihar assembly which comprised 14% of women MLAs
- Lohia had advocated a broad coalition of backwards, women, Dalits, and other depressed sections of society
- Lalu Prasad, Lohia’s other disciple in Bihar, however has remained fixated on reservation for backwards
Lohia’s Backward Classes Included Women, Dalits
Lohia was equally forthright about ending class and language-based discrimination. In Lohia’s view, 90% of the people suffered from some form of deprivation and injustice. He therefore had advocated a broad coalition of backwards, women, Dalits, scheduled tribes and depressed sections of Muslims and Christians (he called them backward classes) to fight against the caste system.
Nitsh Kumar tried to build the same kind of social coalition. While his focus clearly was on picharas, he built a coalition of Mahadalits, women and depressed sections among Muslims. In fact, he tried to broad base Lohia’s coalition by setting up an Upper Caste Commission to look into social and economic conditions of upper castes way back in 2011. There is a promise to extend financial help to poor students belonging to this category. Nitish clearly believed that preferential treatment to backward classes must go hand in hand with the needs of the poor among other sections of society. There is no question of preferring one over others.
Lalu Prasad, Lohia’s other disciple in Bihar, however, is fixated on Sau Mein Saath slogan. His only addition is his brand of secular politics that has ensured him a steady support base all these years.
First Phase Kicks Off
As the crucial assembly elections kick off today, coincidentally Ram Manohar Lohia died the same day 48 years ago, the question uppermost in everyone’s mind is how will the combined might of his two disciples fare. In the first phase, the fate of 586 candidates is to be decided in 49 assembly constituencies spread over 10 districts. In the 2010 elections, the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) had done exceedingly well in the area, that includes key districts of Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Munger, Jamui and Nawada, by winning 29 of these seats. But the JD (U) suffered heavy reverses four years later in the Lok Sabha elections.
But it is going to be a brand new contest this time. Lalu and Nitish are contesting full- fledged assembly elections together after two decades. Will Nitish’s broad base social coalition hold even with Lalu’s aggressive pursuit of ‘backward class politics’? Will they complement each other?
Lohia sought to build a coalition of picharas, Dalits, women, STs and poor among Muslims and Christians in pursuit of nation building. Will Nitish and Lalu be able to cobble together the same combination in pursuit of, what some recent posters say, a resurgent Bihar? We will have an answer on November 8.
(Mayank Mishra writes regularly for the Business Standard.)
For full coverage of Bihar Polls 2015, click here.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)