The Biharis have done it again

JO na kate aari se, woh kate Bihari se” (one that cannot be cut by an axe, can be cut by a Bihari) was the one-liner that defined the political narrative this Sunday as the results of the Bihar Assembly elections started pouring in. This thought aptly found resonance in headlines, be it in social media or the print media, as in one stroke of electoral shootout, all the political pundits lay perplexed. Having pursued my college and law degree from Delhi University, I had heard this catchword often during college and university elections. The fact that it would again be the talk of the nation is also the manifestation and reaffirmation for me — after almost 17 years — of the unique “Bihari” ability to unite at the time of voting. 

Even during college elections, Bihari student-voters would unite at the last minute, when there would be more than one Bihari contesting against a non-Bihari candidate for a single post. No wonder, the Bihari vote bank in Delhi University/college elections is the most sought-after even today. In the Bihar Assembly elections, the unity assumed a broader canvass when the Bihari was pitted against the all-pervading Prime Minister who happens to be a Gujrati.

Mr Modi, having himself remained a very successful chief minister for many years, is the latest pivot to face the wrath of the Bihari unity. 

So, where do we go from here? As far as the political horizon is concerned, it is unclear, but for the Biharis, their work has been done. For them, “work is worship” is as true as for the rest of us. Having left the ruling junta in the country speechless, the Bihari, I am sure, would now be looking forward to going out for work, whether for paddy harvesting in Punjab or building highways all across the country or for that matter, back to the Deputy Commissioner’s chair in your district.   

One cannot ignore the Biharis and their presence across the length and breadth of India. And they are in all hues and colours, that is to say, you could as well encounter them in the corridors of power or find them building that flyover near your city or town. They are there to lend a helping hand in your domestic chores or they could be pulling that rickshaw. But what you also cannot ignore is their spirit of survival and the capacity to work hard. 

I must say here with all respect to all other classes of people, identified from their regional basis, that not many of them can lay a claim to such a varied and enterprising lot. Not to mention the knack of delivering startling electoral results owing to their ‘tendency’ to unite at the time of voting, when it counts the most. 

Be it as it may, but the axe has no doubt cut deep the invincible, thereby rendering the celebrations for the festival of democracy.