Justice
Katju's sarcastic facebook comments about offering Bihar to Pakistan along with
Kashmir as "package
deal" is too insulting a remark for any self respecting Bihari. In the normal circumstances, such
sarcasm & offensive remarks would have been like stirring hornet's nest
comprising of large no. of educated & intellectual Biharis occupying
coveted positions all across in diverse fields. Such people would have reacted
so aggressively that Justice Katju by
now would have been on his knees apologizing for his impertinent remarks.
However, as of now,nothing like the above seems to be happening.
If
you may pause & ponder, you may get the answer for the above indifference
very easily.
Bihar remained subject to sarcasm & derision for long especially during fifteen long years of Laloo- Rabri, misrule largely known as Jungle Raaj. However, situation improved with inception of NDA rule under able & efficient Nitish Kumar(His critics continue to consider him so even now). With Law & order largely restored & infrastructural development activities happening in small-small increments, average Bihari started feeling, Bihar is on path of progress & in years to come, Bihar will catch up with rest of India. That was the period, when an educated & intellectual Bihari would have his head-held-high showcasing development works in Bihar. In this short period, these people began to talk about “बिहारी अस्मिता(pride)”.Alas, this situation would have continued in the larger interest of Bihar. However, that wasn't to happen. Nitish considered his individual ambition & ego far more important than larger interest of Bihar. Firstly, he snapped ties with his long time trusted ally BJP to satisfy his own ego i.e not to let Narendra Modi become PM of India. Sadly for him, his strategy backfired on him. Not only to his dismay, Narendra Modi became PM of India but Nitish’s own political existence looked like getting erased from political map of Bihar after 2014 LS elections. Shrewd politician, as he is, Nitish decided to join hands with very Lalu, for removal of whose Jungle Raaj, he had assiduously fought in alliance with BJP for several years.
In
a nutshell, for his own individual ego & ambitions, Nitish sacrificed
larger interest of Bihar. He revived almost politically extinct Lalu & now Bihar is back to Jungle Raaj.
The day Lalu- Nitish came back to power to reestablish Jungle Raaj in Bihar,
educated & intellectual people of Bihar, whether living in Bihar or outside,
hung their heads in shame, looked extremely dejected as their last hope for well
being of Bihar had ended. This day was
marked as beginning of educated & intellectual Biharis snapping off their
"emotional bonding" with
Bihar. They had come to realize, as caste- community arithmetic is going to
stay in favour of Lalu & his kith
& kins and hence Bihar is destined to be ' backward" for long time to
come. If this is the situation, why to continue to identify with such a place?
Hence, with above background, when Justice Katju has made such an insulting
remark about Bihar, instead of violently reacting against his such uncouth conduct, educated & intellectual
Biharis prefer to be indifferent & some of them also saying, probably, we
ourselves are responsible for such remarks & we shouldn't blame Justice
Katju & others for their sarcasm & offensive remarks.
The
above passive conduct on the part of educated & intellectual Biharis about
their own insult is an unfortunate reality however such passive cynicism on their part is likely
to continue until whole Bihar rises
above narrow caste & community considerations and start thinking in
terms of progress & prosperity of
Bihar.
