Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, November 25
JDU will organise a mega Bhim Sambad at Veterinary College grounds near Patna Airport on Sunday to mobilise the Mahadalit voters.
Senior JDU leader and PWD Minister Ashok Choudhary said about one lakh Mahadalits were expected to attend the mega dialogue. Two days, later on Tuesday, Union Minister and LJP President Pashupati Kumar Paras, who is younger brother of the founder of the party, Ram Vilas Paswan, is also hosting another mega event at Hajipur, 20 km from Patna.
Ashok Choudhary had been organising Bhim Sammlelans in different districts since September. The proposed mega event is being considered as an attempt to show the strength of Dalits and Mahadalits with JDU.
There are 22 Mahadalit castes in Bihar. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in 2007 had set up Mahadalit Commission and sanctioned exclusive budgets for the promotion of Mahadalits. Initially, he had included only 21 dalits as Mahadalits, but later on persuasion by Ram Vilas Paswan, he included Paswans too as Mahadalits.
In 2021, the Mahadalit Commission had recommended inclusion of Chamaras into the Mahadalit group.
Ashok Choudhary, who had been president of Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee before joining JDU a decade ago, is considered an influential Mahadalit leader. He has invited the Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar to inaugurate the Sansad of Mahadalits.
