DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

Isle of indifference: nobody comes to seek vote
VIJAY DEO JHA in Darbhanga

This report is brought to you from an isle of apathy and indifference. It is election time, and, nobody has come to seek vote here. Who would and why?

It is too difficult for party and candidates since it takes too much time to reach the village Gaijori (a riverine island) situated on the extreme east of Darbhanga under Kuseswarsthan. Surrounded by three rivers, Gaijori is not the single village of its kind which has remained isolated from the rest of the world. There is a long list of such villages: Tilkeswar, Alauli, Ghordaur etc. It is nature’s wish to keep this vast swathe under flood for the rest eight months of the year.

But it is successive state governments that to be blamed for keeping it under perpetual underdevelopment: no road, no electricity and no healthcare even to establish remote connection of such villages with the concept of welfare State.

“No candidate has come to seek our vote, their men have distributed us few banners and pamphlets,” Gopal Yadav a young man of the village said.

This village is essentially Yadav and Mushhar (an extremely backward community) settlement. So they have always been taken copyright property of Lalu Prasad and his party RJD and Ram Vilash Paswan of the LJP. Will they vote if nobody has come to seek it?

“They may come on election day. They can not ignore us. They will ignore us after voting. People have no interest in voting. Votes have not changed our destiny,” Ramkumar Yadav a school teacher complained.

Normally election time offers engagements to youth--unemployed and addict in politics--to consume their plenty time in political gossip, debate and electioneering. Nobody is willing to talk politics if you have come to get their views on Nitish and Lalu.
“Whosoever wins and whosoever is defeated, we are not going to become king nor the fate of our villages is going to be changed,” Gopi Sadai said. The village is flooded with myriads of welfare slogans: Pulse Polio, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, TB Hatao, Hum Do Hamare Do etc. The painters have done their job, anyway and gone.

Till a couple of years back there was only poverty, unemployment and related problems to deal with; naxal problem has suddenly Till an year back there was unemployment, poverty and other such issues to deal with the Naxal problem have suddenly cropped-up. “This area has been turning into a safe heaven for Naxalites who are recruiting unemployed youths,” concerned one. Only a month back police had arrested a self styled dreaded Maoist commander from this village who was accuse of abducting a panchayat head.

“We are passing through a very bad phase. Situation is turning against us. Politics wolitisk se kuch nahi hoga…kaam kaaz nahi milega to yahi sab hoga,” Sakaldeo Yadav the head of Yadav clan rings ironically true.
Soon after a dozen half naked children their ill health mothers gathered that looked like shambled index of human development of the backyard of Bihar.

It takes around eight hours to reach district headquarter Darbhanga situated barely 75 km away which must be very critical for a patient and an expected mother if rushed to the Darbhanga Medical College. “So why such villages and areas are treated as Kala Pani by official posted here,” said a Lady Extension Officer Mamta Kumari having served in this area.