Newsmaker | JD(U) MP facing flak for saying he won’t work for Yadavs, Muslims: Who is Devesh Chandra Thakur?

Devesh Chandra Thakur, otherwise known for pioneering the idea of Bihar Diwas first celebrated in 2011, finds himself in a controversy for the first time over his remarks on Yadavs and Muslims. On Monday, the newly elected Janata Dal (United) MP from Sitamarhi said though he would welcome Yadav and Muslim visitors from his constituency to his home, he would not help them because they did not vote for him.

“Yadav aur Musalman hamare yahan aate hain to unka swagat hai. Chai pijiye, mithai khaiye. Lekin main aapka koi kaam nahi karunga (Yadavs and Muslims who come to me are welcome. They can have tea and sweets. But I will not do any work for them),”Thakur said at a function in Sitamarhi.

The 71-year-old’s remarks invited sharp criticism not only from rival Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) but also from ally BJP and his party’s Banka MP. While RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari called his remarks “casteist and feudalistic”, the BJP’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) Morcha national general secretary Nikhil Anand said that “no political party would be able to ignore Yadavs who comprise more than 14% of the state’s population”. JD(U)’s Banka MP Giridhari Yadav demanded an immediate apology from Thakur.

JD(U) chief spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar told The Indian Express, “Though a leader is well within his rights to express his dismay at not getting support from some sections of society, a leader of Devesh Chandra Thakur’s stature should have refrained from making controversial remarks in public.”

Thakur who is a resident of Sitamarhi was the first candidate the JD(U) announced for the Lok Sabha polls. The early announcement created a flutter in Bihar political circles as the party denied the ticket to sitting MP Sunil Kumar Pintu, an OBC