Bihar politics over the torching of 100 houses belonging to Mahadalit community in Nawada took a new turn when former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi levelled allegations that Yadav and Paswan members were involved in the incident.
"People from the Yadav community provoked members of the Paswan community to carry out the incident," Union MSME Minister Manjhi said in his video statement.
The district police arrested 12 people belonging to the Yadav caste, targeting the Mahadalit community. The Yadavs, eyeing the land, forged Paswan community members against the Mahadalits with the intention of displacing them from land on which they have been living for a decade," said Manjhi.
The statement has made quite a controversial debate within Bihar's political fraternities because it concerns sensitive caste dynamics that, through their history, played a decisive role in the state's politics.
By bringing caste to the table, Manjhi has injected an element that will raise outbursts from different fraternities of politics and social order, especially the Opposition parties, which includes the traditional RJD associated with the Yadav community.
Given the complex caste-based political fabric of Bihar, such remarks could easily inflame passions not just about the specific incident but also within the broader political landscape.
The incident in Nawada has indeed sparked a highly charged political battle in Bihar, with many prominent leaders weighing in and charging up the situation even further.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav condemned Union Minister Manjhi for accusing the Yadav community of setting the arsons.
Former Bihar Chief Minister attacked Manjhi with the charge that he is misleading the people and said that the trouble in Bihar lies in its failure in law and order and termed the Nawada incident "completely wrong."
Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav sharply reacted against the "double engine government" led by Nitish Kumar.
He labeled "double engine government" insensitive to the needs of Dalits and poor.
Tejashwi also pointed towards the growing violence against Dalits and said such things won't be accepted.
Chirag Paswan, one of the prominent faces from Bihar and Union Minister, has also condemned the act.
Coming to terms with his role as an alliance partner, Paswan called for fast action by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar so that he can ensure that the culprit people are caught and presented in front of the justice.
His call for extreme action reflects his concern about the gravity of the case.
Bihar Congress President Akhilesh Prasad Singh launched strong attack on Nitish Kumar's government that called the incident "inhuman."
Singh announced the Congress would send a team to Nawada to support the affected people and demanded severe punishment for those responsible.
The incident has now become a flashpoint for Bihar's political leaders as Opposition parties slammed governance under Nitish Kumar and the NDA.
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