The Arrogant Undertones Of Pappu Yadav's "Aap Humko Sikhayega?" Remark In Parliament

During his oath-taking ceremony, Pappu Yadav was seen patronising former law minister Kiren Rijiju.

Taking his oath in Maithili, Yadav looked to finish it with a few slogans. Rijiju appeared to say something that Yadav interpreted as an interruption.

While heading to shake hands with pro-tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab, Yadav seemed more keen on interacting with Rijiju.

“I have become a member of Parliament (MP) for the sixth time, more than you. Aap humko sikhayega (You will teach me)?" said Yadav to Rijiju.

It was a breach of the dignified conduct that the public expects from their representatives.

If there are objections, representatives are supposed to counter them with facts and carefully crafted responses, not throwaway statements of arrogance.

After all, that is the whole point behind the concept of "parliamentary language."

Yadav's remark against another MP betrays an attitude that believes ‘no one is above me’.

This incident has grabbed headlines in the national media; however, locally, Yadav is in the limelight due to his alleged high-handedness in dealing with the public.

Days after he was confirmed as the new MP of Purnia, a businessman in the area alleged that Yadav and his henchmen were demanding Rs 1 crore in extortion from him.

Yadav was then booked under sections 385, 504, 506, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He has taken bail from the Purnia court and said he will take the businessman to the Supreme Court in a defamation case.

Yadav is also accused of hounding doctors. The accusation came from Ajay Alok, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and doctor.

Yadav asked physicians to cap their fee at Rs 500, and for surgeons at Rs 300. Subsequent visits to the doctor within a month's time were declared free of charge.

For patients who are below the poverty line (BPL), Yadav’s office would release special letters based on which they would receive further discounts in hospitals.

According to Yadav, the rates were agreed upon by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Purnia doctors.

Alok has refuted any agreement on the part of the IMA and doctors. He has warned Yadav against threatening them and also told doctors to give their services without any fear.

Yadav said on X that if doctors behave like gods, they will be worshipped as such, and if they do not, patients will hold court.

The post hint at the old system of the early 1990s, when powerful strongmen like Yadav’s close friend Mohammad Shahabuddin would hold open courts on their premises.

There was very little care for procedure under the Criminal or Civil Procedure Code. Baahubalis were the ultimate judges then, and further appeals were not allowed.

This was part of the systemic disdain during the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rule in Bihar, where Yadav was a key leader and, in many ways, a facilitator.

In August 2021, the late BJP leader and former deputy chief minister of Bihar, Sushil Modi, said Lalu Yadav would have Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers rub tobacco on the palm of their hand and carry utensils that would be used as spittoons.

Mrityunjay Sharma, author of the book Broken Promises: Caste, Crime and Politics in Bihar, said in an interview that Lalu Yadav would get his pictures taken while humiliating bureaucrats.

The former chief minister of Bihar would spread his legs like a king and bureaucrats would be demeaned by being made to stand near his legs.

Pappu Yadav was the backbone of the Lalu Yadav era.

Even media wasn't spared. Journalist Arnab Goswami once revealed that (Pappu) Yadav was so powerful that he (Goswami) was virtually kidnapped in the 1990s.

Yadav has said on X that he respects Rijiju, which is welcome.

As even Alok has told Yadav, "the era of Shahabuddin and Siwan is over."