Lalu, JD-U back RJD MP facing fire over ‘Thakur’ poem

Beleaguered RJD lawmaker Manoj Jha, who has been braving attacks from some quarters for his recital of an old poem in the Parliament during its special session earlier this month to discuss the women’s reservation Bill, on Thursday found clear support from his party chief Lalu Prasad as well the Janata Dal-United.

Jha, a Rajya Sabha member and academician, had recited a poem that referred the society’s dominant class as “Thakur”, triggering belligerent reactions from one of his own party MLAs, besides others, who claim it as an affront to the Rajput community.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad said Jha did not talk about any caste. “He is a scholarly man. He did not say anything wrong. Those opposing him are doing wrong and should refrain from doing so,” he told reporters in Patna.

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, JD-U president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh blamed the “unnecessary controversy” on the BJP.

“What Manoj Jha said needs to be listened to carefully. They need to watch the Rajya Sabha proceedings to see what he said and in what context. He did not give a statement on any caste. A section of media twisted Jha’s statement. He started off with ‘suppose I am a Thakur’. He did not have any intention to hurt sentiments of any caste or community. The controversy started seven days after his statement,” said Singh, whose party and RJD are major constituents of the ruling alliance in Bihar.

Soon after the controversy broke out, Jha himself had clarified that whatever he had to convey was done with adequate disclaimers. “What I had to say I said in the poem with adequate disclaimers. The poem was against the grammar of dominance and that dominant persona has to be resisted, whether it is individuals or institutions,” Jha said.

Lalan Singh also trashed speculations about “growing proximity between the BJP and Nitish Kumar”.

“This is all absurd. Nitish Kumar cannot even look that way. He is the harbinger of unity among non-BJP parties. BJP is not even worth looking at, as it has not fulfilled any of its promises. The meeting of Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad on Thursday is an indication that all media speculations are a sham and he is firmly with the Grand Alliance to take forward the formation called I.N.D.I.A. for a decisive fight in 2024,” he said.

Lalan Singh’s statement is significant since a former JD-U MLC, Sanjay Singh, had joined RJD legislator Chetan Anand and BJP legislator Neeraj Kumar Bablu in taking exception to Jha’s poem as an affront on the community. Sanjay Singh, a Rajput, has even demanded that Jha apologise.

Former CM and Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi and former Rajya Sabha member Shivanand Tiwari, of the RJD, also came out in support of Jha, saying the controversy was uncalled for. “The entire episode reflects attempts of polarisation on caste lines and it is not good,” Manjhi said.

The matter flared up after RJD’s Chetan Anand raised the issue two days back. “Manoj Jha spoke of killing the Thakur within. He should first slay the Brahmin within. I do not use my caste surname. I challenge him to drop the Jha suffix.

Anand’s statement was followed up by his father Anand Mohan Singh, whose release from jail earlier this year after remission of the life sentence he was serving in the case of killing of former district magistrate G Krishnaiah has been challenged in the court.

The former MP was even more scathing. “If it comes to our pride, we can lay down our lives and also take lives. This is the mindset we are upset against. Had I been in the Rajya Sabha, I would have snatched the tongue and lobbed it towards the chair,” Anand Mohan told reporters.

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor blamed RJD for orchestrating all this, saying it was an attempt to spread caste hatred in the society. “How it is possible that their MP is saying all this and Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has no idea,” he said.

RJD spokesman Rishi Mishra is learnt to have written to union home minister Amit Shah, seeking security for Jha.