After becoming MP, Karai Musahar went to Delhi sitting on the floor of the train, know the story of Bihar’s first Dalit MP.

When general elections were held for the first time in the year 1951, Karay Musahar was elected as the first Dalit MP from Bihar. He used to work as a guard at a landlord’s house. Karay Musahar’s family still lives in a mud house. Read his life story…

Kumar Ashish returning from Murho (Madhepura). ‘When my grandfather won the elections and started going to Delhi, he did not even have money to buy a train ticket. Then the workers of the Socialist Party had made arrangements for his travel to Delhi and food by donating. He went to Delhi sitting on the floor in the general compartment of the train.’ While telling this, Umesh Koirala’s face fills with pride. Who is Umesh Koirala? Umesh Koirala is the grandson of Kirai Musahar, the first Dalit MP of Bihar.

Unlike the descendants of politicians from the present era, Umesh Babu, who is far away from luxuries, influence and status, is proud that the blood of an honest politician runs in his veins. Umesh, who lives in a simple mud house with his family, says, ‘Despite Dada ji having the certificate of victory in the Parliament elections at that time, he did not try for reservation nor did he try to sit on a seat in the general compartment. Showed courage. Yes, we reached Delhi by laughing, talking and eating with the co-passengers in the train.

Rent musahars used to work as guards at the landlord’s house.

Kirai Musahar was born on 18 August 1920 to Khushhar Musahar, a Dalit laborer of Murho village in present-day Madhepura district. Both the parents of Karay Musahar used to support the family by working hard for the landlord of the village. After growing up, Karay Musahar also started working in the house of village landlord Mahavir Prasad Yadav. The hired Musahar got the job of guard.

Due to being honest and hardworking, he became the favorite of the tenant landlord Mahavir Babu. Politicians of that time used to come to Mahavir Babu’s house, hence by listening to all of them, Kira also gained some knowledge of politics. Due to his developed ability to speak among ten people, Mahavir Babu and the people of the village made Kiray a candidate from the reserved seat in the first general election and after winning with the support of the people, he reached Delhi.

Became beloved by Nehru and Shastri due to his outspokenness

Umesh Koirala says – His grandfather MP Kirai Musahar was known for his outspokenness. During the debate in Parliament, Kiray used to express his views in typical desi style. The then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru also had to face his opposition many times, but he always listened to Dadaji seriously. Umesh says – Impressed by grandfather’s simplicity and spirit of service, senior Congress leader Lal Bahadur Shastri, during his visit to Bihar in 1960, came to Saharsa by train with a hired passenger and from there to Madhepura by tire cart (bullock cart).

…when the villagers started running after seeing Shastri ji’s convoy

On the way to Murho, the villagers, who were uprooting Alhua (sweet potatoes) from the fields, started running away after seeing Lal Bahadur Shastri and MP Kirai Musahar along with Lal Sipahi (police wearing red cap). Then MP Kirai Musahar gave voice to the villagers and stopped them. Called him near with Alhua and showed it to Shastri ji and said, ‘Sir, we all live by eating this.’

Similarly, while moving ahead, he called some children who were plucking Jilebi from a tree and showed them this fruit and also called the children picking snails from the pond and showed them this morsel of their society. When Shastri ji asked him what was the primary need of him and the people of his area? Then, MP Kirai Musahar had said that it would be a blessing if a path for walking and more well for drinking becomes available tomorrow.

License was started on bullock cart

Umesh says – His grandfather Kirai Musahar did many things while being an MP. Just as registration of bike, motor or other vehicles is required today, at that time he had made license mandatory for bullock carts also. A tin plate was fixed on each bullock cart. Umesh says that apart from this, MP Kirai Musahar had for the first time got a government plot allotted to the very poor and landless Ghantin Das of Budhma and built a house made of straw and wood for him. This scheme became Indira Awas Yojana in the later Indira government.

When the name was finalized as a candidate, he was working in the fields.

After the country got independence in 1947, the first general elections were announced in 1951. At that time, there were 68 Lok Sabha constituencies with two MPs each and one Lok Sabha constituency with three MPs across the country. At that time many surrounding districts including Madhepura, Saharsa, Supaul came under Bhagalpur-Purnia joint Lok Sabha constituency. Congress had then entered the fray taking the credit of getting independence for the country. The Socialist Party was in front of the Congress as a strong opposition. There were two seats in the Bhagalpur-Purnia joint parliamentary constituency then. One general and the other reserved. There was an alliance between the Socialist Party and Praja Socialist Party. Bhupendra Narayan Mandal (BN Mandal) was the first choice of the socialists from the general seat.

When the Socialist Party thought of fielding its candidate from the reserved seat also against the Congress government, BN Mandal suggested the name of Karai Musahar to Ram Manohar Lohia. Then Lohia ji and BN Mandal ji together contested the elections for Kirai Musahar. The people of Madhepura not only reached Delhi by winning the elections with immense support, but also took the title of being the first Dalit MP of Bihar.

It is said that at the time when the name of Karai Musahar was finalized for the reserved seat of Bhagalpur-Purnia, he was working in the fields. Kirai Musahar was deeply influenced by socialist ideology and was very close to Lohia ji and BN Mandal. Kirai Musahar died in 1962. Ram Manohar Lohia was deeply saddened by his death.

Courtesy: Hindi News