K.B.SAHAY: IN THE NEWS PAPERS OVER THE YEARS

“Letters to the Editor” published in various newspapers and magazines over the years

1.      Published in “The Hindustan Times” (Patna Edition) on March 27, 1986 titled “ A Rare Breed”

Sir- I read with utmost interest A. J. Philip’s write up “The Agrarian Crisis” (HT, “In Retrospect”, March 13), which broadly outlines the efforts of the former Chief Minister of Bihar, the late Mr. K. B. Sahay at solving the problems arising due to the unequal distribution of land in Bihar. It is an indication of Mr. Sahay’s deep commitment and strength of character that despite strong opposition from powerful lobbies he was able to abolish the Zamindari System in Bihar.

I agree with Mr. Philip when he says that it is the kith and kin of Zamindars who have found a place in the bureaucratic and political set up, who are responsible for the non-implementation of land reforms. Mr. K. B. Sahay was able to push through land reform legislation because he was neither a zamindar nor did he come from such a family.

He was not afraid even of being liquidated by the zamindars and their henchmen, as was evident when he survived an attempt on his life in 1950 and succumbed to another such attack in 1974 (3^rd of June)

Such qualities of leadership are not seen in today’s crop of leaders who are afraid to tell even simple truths in the House lest they may be stripped of their membership by the party High Command.

It is very difficult to find today, a leader of the calibre of Mr. K. B. Sahay or the late Dr. S.K. Sinha largely because of the encouragement that Mrs. Gandhi gave, and now Mr. Rajiv Gandhi gives to sycophants and incompetent people.

The need of the hour is to send efficient people to the State Assembly. We need leaders who, if necessary, may even challenge the Central Government to safeguard the interests of the people of Bihar.

Is there anyone among the political leaders of today who fits the above description?

Yours faithfully,

Rajesh Sahay, Jhumri Telaiya, Kodarma.     

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2.      Published in “The Telegraph”, Calcutta, July 31, 2000 edition titled “Blood in the Land”

Madhushree C. Bhowmik’s “Entangled in a vicious caste net” (July 19, 2000) contains some factual errors regarding the history of the abolition of the Zamindari system in Bihar. The pioneer of the anti-zamindari movement in the state was Krishna Ballabh Sahay popularly kown as K. B. Sahay, who has wrongly been referred to as Kul Bhushan Sahay. Sahay was not only in instrumental in organizing anti-zamindari agitation in Bihar in the pre-independence era, it was he who, along with Mr. Bajrang Sahay, drafted the famous Zamindari Abolition Bill. As pointed out in the article, he was physically assaulted for this. Nevertheless, the bill was enacted as the Bihar (Abolition of Zamindari) Act XXX, 1950.

The act sent shock waves among zamindars all over Bihar. Under the leadership of Kameshwar Singh, erstwhile zamindar of Darbhanga, they challenged the Act in the Supreme Court as an infringement of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution in Article 31A and 31B were incorporated to nullify the effects of the Article 14. K. B. Sahay had to pay a price for this as well. All the landlords threw their weight behind Kamakhya Singh, erstwhile ruler of Ramgarh estate, to defeat him in the 1957 elections.

Sahay could become chief minister only in 1963. He did try to impose the anti zamindari act again. But by this zamindars had been able to transfer their surplus land under benami holdings. They had thus succedded in bringing their total landed property well under the prescribed ceiling. The purpose of the zamindari abolition act was thus defeated.

Sahay had some idea of combating this as well. He had confided in some of his well wishers about this in Patna in May 1974, immediately after winning elections to the Bihar Legislative Council. However, once again a truck accident was engineered and this killed Sahay on the spot on June 3, 1974.

Sahay believed that the problem was not so much between the higher castes and the lower castes as between those who held surplus land and those who did not. Blowing the trumpet of caste based alignment may help in electoral politics to garner caste based support, but it is not going to improve the social fabric and economic status of the common man in Bihar.

Yours faithfully,

Rajesh Sahay, Nilgunj (from the place of posting at the time of publication of this letter)