Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi makes Independence Day a special one for Mahadalits

Jitan Manjhi, the first Chief Minister of Bihar from the Musahar community, stepped aside on Friday to let the oldest man of his community hoist the tricolour at an Independence Day ceremony in a remote mahadalit village in Patna. Baleshwar Manjhi, an aging resident of Chiraiyantand Musahari Tola under Neura panchayat, unfurled the national flag and even took the guard of honours in the presence of Manjhi and other ministers.

Sharing the joy of the community, the chief minister said that underprivileged people were being honoured through similar programmes not only in Patna district but also the rest of the state. "Independence is for you. Until the last man of society is benefited, we will not get total freedom," he said in his address to the mahadalits.

The CM said that it was basically the vision of his predecessor Nitish Kumar that such a programme was being organised in the state. "He (Nitish) did a lot of work for the honour and development of the mahadalits," Manjhi said. "Driven by his philosophy of inclusive growth, he worked for the welfare of the most deprived sections of the society." Asserting that his government was committed to the development of the most marginalised sections of society, Manjhi gifted a newly-built road to the villagers. He also distributed ownership papers of three decimal land to 30 mahadalit families to build houses.

Manjhi also gave away cheques to beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivaah Yojna and the family welfare scheme, bringing cheers among the villagers who were happy to see Manjhi, a member of their community.

But the government's initiative to 'empower' the mahadalits through flag-hoisting ceremonies has not pleased everyone in the community. At Raunia, the mahadalit hamlet under Naubatpur block in Patna district where an aged Ramvriksha Manjhi had hoisted the national flag in the presence of former chief minister Nitish Kumar, villagers alleged that the government officials had done little to improve their living conditions. They said that Ramvriksha had submitted a charter of demands to the CM Manjhi on behalf of the villagers but none of them was fulfilled.

"We had demanded a concrete road up to Gandhi Halt but it was not made," a village said. The villagers complained that their hamlet was yet to receive electricity even after a year since the high-profile visit of the chief minister and his entourage. Nitish, who had launched a slew of welfare schemes for the mahadalit communities, had started the tradition of flag-hoisting on the Independence Day and Republic Day by the eldest members of the community in different hamlets across the state three years ago in his bid to honour and empower them.

The programme was first launched at Abupir Musahari Tola under Koriama panchayat of Phulwari Sharif block in Patna district on I-Day.