Bihar crisis: CM Manjhi finds an unlikely friend in Sadhu Yadav
On Wednesday, the only “media vehicle” — a white SUV with "press" sticker in capital red letters — that was allowed to whiz past the barricades leading to Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s official residence had Sadhu Yadav seated on the front seat. Remember Sadhu Yadav? The estranged brother-in-law of RJD chief Lalu Yadav, who once wielded enormous clout during Rabri’s regime and almost as much when jijaji Lalu Prasad ruled Bihar directly?
Though off the front pages of newspapers since 2009 — barring a few exceptions of course — Sadhu has not joined a media house. For reasons best known to him, he seems to have got "Press" credentials affixed on his vehicle, a small piece of manipulation for someone who in 2001 once ruffled up a senior IAS officer NK Sinha in his office — when sister Rabri was Bihar chief minister — but remained off the hook .
Sadhu Yadav has now jumped into Bihar’s bizarre power struggle between Nitish Kumar and Jitan Ram Manjhi — apparently trying to carve out a career out of someone’s doom.
While Nitish Kumar has gathered his motley crew; from Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav to the most intimidating Anant Singh — who publically threatened to thrash Jitan Ram Manjhi — the Maha Dalit chief minister also has no less notoriety by his side.
In a month when Bihar experienced bewildering, breathtaking changes, with RJD Bahubali MP Pappu Yadav, Sadhu too switched over to the chief minister’s camp — against the wishes of his famous brother-in-law Lalu Prasad — who is credited for his meteoric rise and sharp fall in politics.
It has helped Sadhu catch some eyeballs. Besides, it is also being seen as Sadhu returning the favour after the Maha Dalit chief minister earned wrath of his partymen for having dahi-chuda (curd and beaten rice) at his residence on January 16. Manjhi’s decision to have food at Sadhu’s house left the JD-U sharply divided. Though party spokesmen censured him for violating the party’s policies and principles, Manjhi remained undeterred.
Having taken guard, Sadhu Yadav is now addressing press conferences against Nitish, holding him responsible for the plights of Yadavs in Bihar, besides attending strategy sessions at Manjhi’s residence. He has also written to Bihar DGP, seeking to initiate action against Assembly speaker Udai Narayan Choudhary — perceived to be in Nitish's camp — for his alleged involvement in a murder case.
Earlier when Jitan Ram Manjhi visited governor in Patna on February 9, Sadhu stood behind him in the atrium of Patna Rajbhawan. As the media swelled, Sadhu was seen telling security persons to control them. Nobody listened to him, though.
This is not the first instance of Sadhu’s revolt against his famous brother-in-law, Lalu Prasad, who is pushing hard for Nitish return as Bihar chief minister. Lalu secured a nomination for Sadhu to the Bihar Legislative Council in 1995 “for his exemplary social service". Later, Lalu also backed Sadhu as his candidate in 2004 Lok Sabha poll, which got him elected as an MP from Gopalganj. But Sadhu deserted Lalu after the latter did not give him ticket in the 2009 general elections.
Sadhu Yadav turned rebel for his career and secured a Congress ticket and unsuccessfully contested 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Left in political wilderness since then, Sadhu also visited Lalu in Ranchi jail following the latter’s conviction, though it failed to thaw the ice between the two. Sadhu was still not welcome in Lalu’s house, now controlled by his children who find Sadhu difficult to trust.
Sadhu Yadav, however, has been no less enterprising. Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he even succeeded in meeting then prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Gujarat, but strong negative feedback from Bihar BJP stopped the party from inducting him. Prior to 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Sadhu initially declared he would contest as an Independent from Saran. But he dropped the idea when Lalu fielded his sister Rabri Devi from there. He did not contest the Lok Sabha polls. Even though Rabri also lost her electoral battle.
In July 2014 Sadhu had hogged the limelight when police recovered Rs 39 lakh cash and gold and diamond ornaments weighing more than two kilogrammes "stolen" from his Patna residence. The income-tax department is investigating the source of the money.
Sadhu Yadav is not alone for whom Bihar’s current "kissa kursi ka" power has rekindled hopes of political revival. Lalu Yadav too has bounced back and is now being deemed a serious political player in the state after his decade long marginalisation.
Beginning 2005 when Lalu was twice defeated in as many Assembly polls held that year, the RJD has only been trounced in all subsequent elections. It could win only four Lok Sabha seats in the General Elections held in 2009 and 2014. In between, 2010 Assembly poll results saw RJD nose-diving to its lowest ever tally of 22 seats in the house of 243. In all, Lalu has lost five consecutive elections in Bihar. If the RJD chief sees a glimmer of hope today for his revival in Bihar, it is only because Lalu and Nitish combined vote share in the past is greater than that of BJP.
On the other hand, virtually reduced to a persona non grata status; the 51-year-old, out-of-favour brother of Rabri Devi has desperately been searching for straws to hang on to. Manjhi now seems to be his last bet. In the ultimate analysis, Bihar can offer a future to either jijaji Lalu Prasad or sala Saheb Sadhu Yadav. Watch this space.