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Violence is a way of life, even during elections, at Ara

Tara Shankar Sahay in Ara

If you cannot lick them, join them, seems to be the philosophy of Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist candidate K D Yadav. He made this terse, one line statement in a matter-of-fact manner on being asked why his party, which had earlier heaped indignities on the country's political system had now joined the mainstream to fight the general election.

The CPI-ML candidate from the Ara constituency shows signs of anger when queried why the Communist movement in India had survived even the former Soviet Union had embraced economic liberalisation and globalisation of the market economy.

"It is quite evident that city-bred people have difficulty in reconciling to the fact that India is primarily an agricultural country, and that the majority of our population are still striving to get two meals a day," Yadav says, raising his voice and pointing an accusing finger at this reporter. "The tragedy is that even educated people refuse to recognise the fact that these trappings and trimmings of capitalism will not get the country far unless it addresses the needs of the rural masses," he adds.

About two km down the crater-filled road leading to Buxar from Ara are the wheat fields where a labourer's wife is eating her lunch comprising sattu (gram) and pickles. She shyly turns her face away with an apologetic smile as we approach. "See, these poor people work day and night but can't even feed their families. Why? because the landlords are living off the fat of the land at these people's expense," Yadav says, his eyes smouldering with anger. "We are endeavouring to rectify these things."

Be that as it may, it cannot be ignored that the landlords are literally fighting to save their lands considering the extremist upsurge which has gripped the region for well over 25 years. Hrishikesh, Rai, a middle-aged Bhumihar landlord, is bitter that Indian society has painted his lot as the villain of the piece and "glorified" labourers and share-croppers who work the landlords's fields.

"We have inherited these lands from our forefathers. Should social justice mean that our lands are forcibly taken away at gun-point and by killing and murdering us?" he asks. "We will not be mute spectators and take things lying down," Rai warns, providing ample indication that "bullet will be met by bullet and sword by sword".

Asked what he thinks is the solution regarding the landlord-extremist feud, Rai has no doubts that land reforms can greatly help maters but "the government is simply not interested". According to him, after innumerable representations to the government for executing land reforms, the landlords in Bihar are reconciled that the status quo will be maintained. "So do you expect us to go along with the whims and fancies of the government? Certainly not. We will defend our lands, whether by peaceful or violent means."

For the RJD candidate, Chandradeo Prasad Verma, who recently quit the Union government for his alleged role in the Rs 9.5 billion fodder scam, the issue of land reforms is obviously an embarrassment. But Verma has sufficient presence of mind to turn the issue to his advantage. "Maybe if all of us were there and if the United Front government had survived, we could have tackled the long-pending issue of land reforms," he points out with a grin.

But witticism not withstanding, almost all the contenders in the fray in the Ara constituency are reconciled that violence is a way of life here and the central government's order to its Bihar counterpart to submit a law and order report would scarcely have any impact in this region.

Elections '98

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