PATNA: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) demanded adequate security for its Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha after his remarks against 'Thakurs' (an upper-caste community) during his speech on the Women's Reservation Bill in the parliament has created a political storm in the state.
RJD spokesperson Rishi Mishra wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking Y category security cover for Jha and said that the matter should be taken on a priority basis.
Jha has cited a poem written by Om Prakash Valmiki during his speech on the Women's Reservation Bill in the parliament which triggered a controversy in the state. Members of the 'Thakur' community took a strong exception and threatened to teach Jha a lesson for his attempts to tarnish the community's image.
The former Sheohar MP and noted bahubali Anand Mohan Singh threatened to slit Jha's tongue for making unsavory remarks. A similar statement was issued by former state minister and senior BJP leader Neeraj Kumar Singh Babloo, who threatened to teach RJD MP a lesson for his audacity.
Another BJP former minister Raghvendra Pratap Singh went a step further and said that he would not hesitate to slit the throat of the RJD MP. Former JD(U) MLC Sanjay Singh also joined the chorus and said that Jha not only causes extensive damage to the reputation of 'Thakurs' but also belittles their contributions to freedom struggle and nation-building.
RJD, on the other hand, defended Jha and said that 'Thakurs' referred to feudal people in all castes. RJD national vice president Shivanand Tiwari said that the issue was being blown out of proportion despite the fact that referring to Thakur, Jha meant to talk about feudal mindset which included him.
“There is nothing objectionable in it,” he contended.
Meanwhile, former chief minister and HAM patron Jitan Ram Manjhi said that some people were unnecessarily trying to polarise certain sections of people for their political gains. “Manoj Jha's recitation of the poem is not objectionable at all,” he asserted.
HAM is now a part of BJP-led NDA. Earlier, JD(U) leader Sunil Singh had sought an apology from Jha for his remarks against Thakurs.