Two court cases against Manjhi for controversial remark

Two court cases have been filed against Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi for his controversial remark that upper castes were foreigners and Dalits and tribals were indigenous people of the country, lawyers said Friday.

A case was filed against Manjhi for his alleged remarks against upper castes in Bettiah, district headquarters of West Champaran.

Sanjay Kumar Mishra, a resident of Purani Gudri, filed a complaint against Manjhi in the court of chief judicial magistrate in Bettiah Thursday. The court has fixed Dec 10 for hearing the case.

Another case was filed against Manjhi in Rosera in Samastipur district by Vijay Mishra, a local Congress leader. He filed the case against Manjhi in Rosera civil court Thursday.

Manjhi reportedly said Tuesday that upper castes were descendants of the Aryans and hence foreigners. He added that Dalits and tribals were the only indigenous people in the country.

The ruling JD-U has distanced itself from Manjhi's controversial remarks.

"This is his personal view and has nothing to do with JD-U," party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said.

JD-U legislator Anant Singh, who belongs to the upper caste Bhumihar community, described Manjhi as "mad" for his remarks and said that he should be "admitted to a mental hospital".

Another JD-U leader, Sanjay Jha, who is close to Nitish Kumar, said that Manjhi's remarks against upper castes were highly objectionable and uncalled for.

Jha, who is a Brahmin, said it is not tolerable because he used such words to create division and tension in the society.

Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has already criticised Manjhi and demanded an apology from him.