Home to a ‘forgotten’ hero, Arrah battle pits BJP’s ‘labharthi’ politics against Opp’s jobs pitch, caste manoeuvres

The Jagdishpur Fort in Bihar’s Arrah Lok Sabha constituency bears markers of the freedom struggle and its local icon Veer Kunwar Singh, the ruler of the erstwhile Jagdishpur principality who led the 1857 rebellion against the British East India Company. His journey, from his seven victories against the Company to when he cut off his right hand and threw it in the Ganga after being shot by the British, is narrated through paintings in the museum housed in the fort. Kunwar Singh’s busts, a statue of him riding his horse, and replicas of his swords are on display at the fort museum.

Of late, Jagdishpur has often been invoked by parties and politicians for its symbolism. While the state government has developed the fort and its surrounding areas over the last two decades, some have attempted to reduce Kunwar Singh to a Rajput icon despite his role in the rebellion. Arrah votes in the final phase on June 1.

But the deserted house adjoining the fort tells the story of a “forgotten” hero. Until last year it was home to Pushpa Singh, a sixth-generation descendant of Kunwar Singh whose son Bablu died in police custody. Unable to live alone there, Pushpa moved to Patna. She criticises the ruling NDA alliance’s “neglect” of Kunwar Singh’s descendants, calling it an insult to the freedom fighter.

Pushpa is disillusioned with all parties. “We have been used as a political symbol over the years. But I have not yet recovered from the shock of my son’s death,” she told The Indian Express.

The BJP’s sitting MP and Union minister R K Singh who is seeking a third-straight term is contending with anti-incumbency. He is up against the CPI(M-L) Liberation’s Sudama Prasad. While Singh is an upper-caste Rajput, Prasad belongs to the OBC Bania