Since taking office as chief minister in 2005, Mr. Nitish Kumar has initiated terai development initiatives valued at billions of dollars. However, prohibition and the government’s many reversals to stay in power have irritated Tharu voters this election season, regardless of age.
Here at Valmikinagar, in the foothills of the Himalayas, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched numerous State-wide yatras (tours), far from the stuffy corridors of the Patna Secretariat. The Tharu tribes of the terai areas, a stretch of land on the foothills along the Indo-Nepal border, call Tharuhat, also known as that, home.
Since taking office as chief minister in 2005, Mr. Kumar has initiated terai development initiatives valued at billions of dollars. However, people of all ages are irritated by the government’s constant renegotiation in order to hold onto power and prohibition this election season.
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Here at Valmikinagar, in the foothills of the Himalayas, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched numerous State-wide yatras (tours), far from the stuffy corridors of the Patna Secretariat. The Tharu tribes of the terai areas, a stretch of land on the foothills along the Indo-Nepal border, call Tharuhat, also known as that, home.
Since taking office as chief minister in 2005, Mr. Kumar has initiated terai development initiatives valued at billions of dollars. However, people of all ages are irritated by the government’s constant renegotiation in order to hold onto power and prohibition this election season.
Far from the musty corridors of the Patna Secretariat, on the foothills of the Himalayas here in Valmikinagar, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has started many of his State-wide yatras (tours). Also known as Tharuhat, it is home to the Tharu tribes of the terai areas, a strip of land on the foothills along the Indo-Nepal border.
Ever since he became the Chief Minister in 2005, Mr. Kumar has launched development projects worth crores for the terai. But regular flip-flops to remain in power and prohibition have annoyed the voters, across all age groups, this election season.
Tharuhat has about 300 villages spread around the 900sqkm Valmikinagar Tiger Reserve in Bihar’s West Champaran district. Tharus number around 3 lakh and most of them are forest dwellers, though some also practise agriculture. The tribe, formally accorded the Scheduled Tribe status in May 2003, is said to have derived its name from Theravada Buddhism and the community considers itself descendants of the Buddha.
“We will not vote for Nitish Kumar. He is palturam (turncoat) and imposed darubandi (prohibition) on us,” said Ghanshayam Rai, a vendor at the bi-weekly Friday market in Valmikinagar. Gautam Mahto, another vendor, quipped, “Daru (alcohol) and Tharu cannot be separated”. “Some Tharus may vote for the RJD candidate, but not to Nitish Kumar’s candidate this time,” he said.
At Kanbhushari village in the Bagaha-2 block, from where most of the young Tharu youths have migrated to Gujarat, Punjab, Mumbai and Gurugram for livelihood, Satyanarayan Mahto, 60, and Ramchandra Mahto, 62, said they will vote for the BJP and not for Mr. Kumar’s candidate.
When said Mr. Kumar is an ally of the BJP and their vote would eventually go to the Chief Minister, Mr. Satyanarayan said, “Kya karen? Nitish majboori hai, lekin Modi jaruri hai (What to do? Nitish is compulsion, but Modi is a necessity)”.
The Tharu women were more reticent about their choice. “We will take a decision on whom to vote on the polling day. We’ve not decided yet,” said Sharda Devi, 56. Another voter, Pramila Devi, 28, cryptically said, “You should understand it better.”
At Champapur Bazaar in the bustling village of Harnatand, the first time Tharu voters, young and fashionable, are also peeved at the political metamorphosis of Nitish Kumar to ‘Kursi’ Kumar, of how the once ‘Sushasan Babu’ of Bihar kept switching loyalties just to remain in power. “We’ll vote for anyone but not to Nitish Kumar’s candidate,” said Ghanshyam Rai. “Who knows, if he makes another switch after winning the seat? We’ll be embarrassed again,” he said. READ COMMENTSREAD LATERPRINT
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