Jitan Ram Manjhi Proudly Defends Musahar Identity After Lalu Yadav Son Tej Pratap’s 'Rat' Jibe

On 4 October, a video clip from journalist Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast with Tej Pratap Yadav, Lalu Yadav’s younger son (officially), went viral on social media.

In the clip, Yadav is seen describing the problems he faces by virtue of being a neighbour of Santosh Kumar Suman, Union Minister and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s son.

“Santosh ji’s house is close to me. I have done a brilliant job of growing vegetables and fruits, but rats from his home come and consume it,” said Tej Pratap Yadav.

Yadav’s statement was deemed an attempt to demean Manjhi. Though he tried to downplay his comment later by describing a rat as Lord Ganesh’s vehicle, the damage had already been done.

Manjhi belongs to the Musahar community, which traditionally relied on catching and eating rats. Musahars are Dalits and have faced discrimination, especially in the Gaya region.

Manjhi, a Member of Parliament from Gaya, responded by saying he is proud of being Musahar.

“We belong to the Musahar family, and we proudly say that we catch rats and also eat them. That is why, leave aside our huts and houses; rats do not even wander around us,” wrote Manjhi.

He also hinted that Lalu Yadav used to eat rats and indirectly referred to one of his sons as a rat. “By the way, now Lalu ji has stopped eating rats. If any 'rat' is jumping around too much at his place, then send it to us; we will take care of it in 'two minutes',” added Manjhi.

The caste war started on 18 September when around 80 houses belonging mostly to the Dalit community were burnt by miscreants.

After the accused were arrested, Manjhi said 90 per cent of them belong to a particular community and are supporters of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

RJD president Tejashwi Yadav jumped into the fray and questioned Manjhi’s caste identity and said that though his surname is Manjhi, people call him Jitan Ram Sharma.

Tejashwi’s comment implies that Manjhi is now thinking like an upper-caste person.

In response, Manjhi said he is not the one to hide his caste, and it is instead Lalu Yadav who hid his own identity for politics. Manjhi referred to Lalu Yadav as Lalu Pal, a surname generally used to refer to shepherds in Bihar.

Manjhi further hinted that RJD’s supporters have imposed their authority on Dalit lands and Muslim graveyards.

When asked about Manjhi’s question on his caste, Lalu Yadav dismissed it and questioned whether Manjhi is himself a Musahar. Manjhi had again responded in the affirmative.