Bihar's political ganglords are all behind bars
IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri's Snaps
Will this have a major impact on the state Assembly polls?
The strongmen of Bihar suddenly don't appear in a position of strength. No one in Bihar would have believed this could ever happen, at least not the bahubalis themselves. The same political ganglords who used to bring life to a standstill in their hay days are now cooling their heels behind bars.
Politics and strongmen were never strange bedfellows but things between the two became intimate like never before in the 90s. Long peeved at being merely a henchmen of the politicians, these strongmen decided that it was about time they took matters into their own hands. In a state where nothing seems to surprise anyone, this appeared to be a temporary phenomenon. What political pundits failed to see was that they were here to stay. The ground was prepared, the environment ripe. When you are a strongman willing to join politics, there are tens of red herrings that you can use. In Bihar, your options increase manifold - caste, religion, class, sub-caste.
So started the deluge. And it was a pan-Bihar phenomenon. Names like Siwan, Saharsa, Purnia, Ara, Aurangabad, Motihari, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali became synonymous with political goondaism, or rather goonda politics. But today, filing this story from the heart of Bihar, it seems as if those years never existed. The era of misplaced bravado and red herrings has started to fade.
The law has started taking its own course. And by doing this, it has not only managed to salvage whatever faith people had in it but has also managed to salvage itself. Law, it appears now, is competent enough to deal with law-breakers. The only assistance it needs is political will. Nitish Kumar provided oxygen to the terminally ill law and order situation and it has managed to find its feet. Speedy trials have put many strongmen in the jails. Some have been turned too invalid to matter. Several of these political ganglords have also been awarded death or life sentences. The law has taken the pyramidal course. Why waste time rounding up petty henchmen and hangers-on. Hit the top and the pyramid crumbles. And since the fief is missing, how long can the fiefdom survive? The crowd outside their citadels is missing and so is the pomp and the show inside. Nobody comes for the quintessential 'Pairvi' (curry favour) these days. Why should they, their erstwhile benefactors have themselves turned 'Pairokar' (favour-seeker).
There is no one to run the fiefdom. Those who are left are either busy saving their skin or are running helter skelter to secure bails for their strongmen. Gone are the courts and courtiers. And if that was not enough, their past too is eagerly catching up with them. Their detractors and opponents have sniffed blood and are mounting relentless attacks. Such is the fear that not one of these erstwhile Gods are taking the risk of letting the whereabouts of their siblings and progenies known. Most of them have been sent far away from the reach of the prowling fiends.
But it will be premature to say that these hoodlums have bowed out. Many are willing to stay put. They are waging a desperate battle to save their fiefdom that their ancestors and they themselves have so painfully carved out. So, as they see the sands beneath their feet shift, they are pulling out all stops for one last desperate struggle. Their mothers, sisters and wives have been forced to take to the pitch. Since most male members are either inside the jail or waiting to go there, there is hardly any other option left. They continue to say, 'He will come out. He is innocent.' But the voices are increasingly getting muted. A few really close courtiers will halfheartedly nod to this refrain. But deep inside, even they know that the chances are slim. Relentless media scrutiny is adding to their hopelessness. Those who are a bit level-headed speak off the record. And in their voice one can not miss the tone of pessimism.
Will this have a major impact on the state Assembly polls?
The strongmen of Bihar suddenly don't appear in a position of strength. No one in Bihar would have believed this could ever happen, at least not the bahubalis themselves. The same political ganglords who used to bring life to a standstill in their hay days are now cooling their heels behind bars.
Politics and strongmen were never strange bedfellows but things between the two became intimate like never before in the 90s. Long peeved at being merely a henchmen of the politicians, these strongmen decided that it was about time they took matters into their own hands. In a state where nothing seems to surprise anyone, this appeared to be a temporary phenomenon. What political pundits failed to see was that they were here to stay. The ground was prepared, the environment ripe. When you are a strongman willing to join politics, there are tens of red herrings that you can use. In Bihar, your options increase manifold - caste, religion, class, sub-caste.
So started the deluge. And it was a pan-Bihar phenomenon. Names like Siwan, Saharsa, Purnia, Ara, Aurangabad, Motihari, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali became synonymous with political goondaism, or rather goonda politics. But today, filing this story from the heart of Bihar, it seems as if those years never existed. The era of misplaced bravado and red herrings has started to fade.
The law has started taking its own course. And by doing this, it has not only managed to salvage whatever faith people had in it but has also managed to salvage itself. Law, it appears now, is competent enough to deal with law-breakers. The only assistance it needs is political will. Nitish Kumar provided oxygen to the terminally ill law and order situation and it has managed to find its feet. Speedy trials have put many strongmen in the jails. Some have been turned too invalid to matter. Several of these political ganglords have also been awarded death or life sentences. The law has taken the pyramidal course. Why waste time rounding up petty henchmen and hangers-on. Hit the top and the pyramid crumbles. And since the fief is missing, how long can the fiefdom survive? The crowd outside their citadels is missing and so is the pomp and the show inside. Nobody comes for the quintessential 'Pairvi' (curry favour) these days. Why should they, their erstwhile benefactors have themselves turned 'Pairokar' (favour-seeker).
There is no one to run the fiefdom. Those who are left are either busy saving their skin or are running helter skelter to secure bails for their strongmen. Gone are the courts and courtiers. And if that was not enough, their past too is eagerly catching up with them. Their detractors and opponents have sniffed blood and are mounting relentless attacks. Such is the fear that not one of these erstwhile Gods are taking the risk of letting the whereabouts of their siblings and progenies known. Most of them have been sent far away from the reach of the prowling fiends.
But it will be premature to say that these hoodlums have bowed out. Many are willing to stay put. They are waging a desperate battle to save their fiefdom that their ancestors and they themselves have so painfully carved out. So, as they see the sands beneath their feet shift, they are pulling out all stops for one last desperate struggle. Their mothers, sisters and wives have been forced to take to the pitch. Since most male members are either inside the jail or waiting to go there, there is hardly any other option left. They continue to say, 'He will come out. He is innocent.' But the voices are increasingly getting muted. A few really close courtiers will halfheartedly nod to this refrain. But deep inside, even they know that the chances are slim. Relentless media scrutiny is adding to their hopelessness. Those who are a bit level-headed speak off the record. And in their voice one can not miss the tone of pessimism.
posted by IIPM: A Leader in Academic Excellence @ 2:01 PM
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