Bravo Bihar

Bihar once again proves its pivotal role as a conscious keeper of India’s secular and political democracy as a checkmate, whenever the idea of social democratic India gets threatened. 

Much before the idea of politically independent India came into picture, Bihar politics facilitated the champaran satyagraha for Gandhi to alter the political doctrines existed in this country and the independence struggle. Since then It never remained the same till India got its independence. 

In 1974 when Congress under Indira Gandhi destroyed the very idea of political democracy and subsequently declared Emergency, Bihar movement under JP unseated the Indira regime and reassured the country the possibility of a non congress government at the centre by forming Janta party government. 

That movement also gave the country many alternative political platforms and idealism - including Karpoori Thakur, who raised caste affirmative action a core electoral issue in Indian politics (Of course not denying Jagjeevan ram and his kind of politics) young non congress leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav and many BJP leaders of today. As a consequence, today many caste discriminated OBC communities decides the fate of most of the upper and central India and changing the elitist political discourse of this country for ever. Certainly the contribution of Lohia, in furthering that philosophical foundation is undeniable. 

Again prior to Babari masjid demolition, when the country was at a brink of a collapse due to L K Advani's communally charged Chariot ride through the length and breadth of this country, leaving a trail of large scale riots and communal disturbances, only Lallu Prasad Yadav from Bihar had the guts to arrest him and put him behind bars. 

Today again when RSS and its fundamentalist elements both in government and outside unleashed a communally polarized fear psychosis across the country, Bihar shows the country, what does it mean to be politics in Democracy. Lallu and his political arch rival of three decades came together with the help of JDU's arch rival Congress to fight against communalism and fundamentalism by accommodation and realignment of their political priorities and preferences to protect the political idealism of secular inclusiveness of constitutional democracy and rejecting divisive communalism. 

For last three decades “Bihari” remains a negative connotation for urbanized self-centered ideologues of capitalistic elitism, but fortunately facts remain stranger than fiction that it is Bihar that protects our country’s liberal inclusive social democracy that allows us to smile at our fellow citizen without looking at his or her cast, creed and social status. Whenever it met with danger, Bihar and its people proved their capacity to fight for it and bring back the glory. 

The rout for BJP in this election proves beyond any doubt that people of Bihar did not defeat the BJP, the party they have elected with a clear mandate during 2014 election, but they have defeated the RSS for their dangerous communalism- an anti thesis to progressive secular democracy and BJP for its torch bearing : a much needed and much awaited political determinism the country needed at this point of history.