From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 8, Issue 47, Dated 26 Nov 2011
CURRENT AFFAIRS
RAJASTHAN
BHANWARI DEVI SCANDAL
Missing nurse throws Rajasthan politics in disarray
By Shirish Khare
Maderna and Gehlot
A MERE RESHUFFLE of the Cabinet by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok
Gehlot will not end his troubles. The disappearance of Dalit nurse
Bhanwari Devi on 1 September from her village near Jodhpur is likely
to have far-reaching political repercussions. Not only has it brought
the nascent factionalism of the state Congress to the fore, it has
also resurrected the BJP's chances in the state.
Bhanwari Devi
Crime and after Bhanwari Devi
Photo: Vinita Saini
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After it emerged from CBI investigations that former water resources
minister Mahipal Maderna, 59, indeed had an intimate dalliance with
Bhanwari, the Congress state chief was quick to suspend him from the
core committee. This suspension has rattled the six-decade-long hold
of the Maderna family on Rajasthan politics. Maderna is the son of Jat
leader Parasram Maderna, an influential political contender among the
Jats in the Marwar region since the 1960s. The Congress has benefited
from the influence of the family in particular, and Jats in general,
in state politics. Now, the same ties could pose a challenge for
Gehlot, who seems to be battling one of the worst crises in his
career.
The party high command, already unhappy with the police firing on Meo
Muslims in Gopalgarh, Bharatpur district, in September, may be having
second thoughts about Gehlot after the inept handling of the Bhanwari
scandal. For, all the politicians exposed in the scandal have Congress
connections. In its investigation so far, apart from Maderna, the CBI
has also named Luni MLA Malkhan Singh Vishnoi and Pali MP Badriprasad
Jakhad. Malkhan's sister Indra Vishnoi has also been named in the
report. As accusations and counter-claims by these leaders fly around,
the Congress image has taken a severe beating.
SOME PARTY insiders claim Gehlot is equipped to handle such political
fiascos. It is this skill that has made redundant the services and
positions of around a dozen Jat leaders from the Congress camp. In
1998, then Congress state head Parasram Maderna was the prime
contender for chief ministership. But Gehlot beat him to it and bagged
the spot via his connections with 10, Janpath. At the time, Maderna
was the only leader who contested Gehlot's credentials for the CM
spot.
In 2008, when Gehlot was again chosen as CM at a meeting presided over
by Congress national secretary Digvijaya Singh, Maderna kicked the
door open and left. Barely three years have passed since this incident
and now his son Mahipal Maderna finds himself ousted from the Congress
— admittedly for his own faults.
According to political analysts, Digvijaya was not in the mood to
carry the burden of Maderna's liabilities around for too long. He took
advantage of the media hype around the scandal and, taking full
measure of the high command's instructions, had Maderna expelled from
the Congress. As expected, this decision has not gone down well with
the Jats.
'This has been going on since the days of kings,' says Leela, wife of
Mahipal Maderna
In the 91st All Jat Conference in Pushkar on 10 November, Gehlot was
painted as an anti-Jat leader, with the Akhil Bharatiya Jat Mahasabha
chairman Radheshyam accusing the CM of ousting Maderna because of his
caste. It is becoming evident that the Congress will have to face the
music from the Jats in the Assembly polls two years from now. Forming
around 11-14 percent of the votebank, they have influence over 30 of
the 200 seats.
BJP leader and former CM Vasundhara Raje understands this equation
very well. It is being said that she is inching closer to the Jat
community in order to clinch the Assembly for her party and the CM's
seat for herself again. This is possibly the reason she has not come
out with any strong statement about the Bhanwari Devi incident that
might earn the ire of the Jat community. Even her adviser Digambar
Singh has this to say in Maderna's defence: "Son of a farmer makes
progress, and some in the Congress are visibly jealous. That's why all
this is happening." It is said about Raje that she doesn't hesitate in
exploring alliances and contacting the detractors of Gehlot within the
Congress. On 5 October, the birth anniversary of Parasram Maderna,
Digambar Singh met Mahipal Maderna. This unusual step of Vasundhara's
adviser (and also former minister of Gehlot) might just add a twist in
the next state elections.
Where is Bhanwari Devi?
The police and CBI are still clueless about the nurse's whereabouts
SIX WEEKS have passed since the CBI took over the case. Bhanwari's
husband Amarchand had filed a petition in the Jodhpur Bench of the
Rajasthan High Court asking for a case to be registered against
Mahipal Maderna. The court directed the police to add Maderna's name
in the FIR accusing him of rape, kidnapping and murder. The case was
transferred to the CBI within 15 days of her disappearance.
So far, the CBI has arrested three suspects — Sohan Bishnoi, Baliya
Jat and Shahabuddin — in this regard. In addition to this, the alleged
mastermind of the abduction, Sahiram Bishnoi, has been declared
absconding by the court.
The investigation by the CBI has two aims: to find Bhanwari dead or
alive, and to arrest the prime accused Sahiram Bishnoi. The agency
claims the mystery will be solved with his arrest. However, the court
has been less than pleased with the pace of the investigation.
On 14 November, Chief Justices Govind Mathur and Narendra Kumar Jain
admonished the CBI, saying the probe cannot be dragged on forever. The
court added that it did not want the investigation going the way of
the Aarushi murder case.
Shirish Khare
WHAT IS actually fading very fast from the public stage in the
political mayhem is concern about Bhanwari Devi's whereabouts. She has
typically been depicted as an evil temptress. Video clippings have
emerged suggesting she was trying to extort money for a CD of her
meetings +with Maderna. Analysing this social phenomenon of vilifying
a woman in trouble, Professor Rajiv Gupta of Rajasthan University has
an interesting insight. He says when a man takes advantage of a woman,
he should not think the business of 'using' is one-sided. "Truth is,
when you're going about doing your business and using the other
person, you're also raising her expectations," he explains.
"Naturally, the other person will also try to take advantage. But the
man never wants it to be a twoway street. Then, when he says no to
something, society calls it blackmail."
Communist leader Srilata Swaminathan too concurs that when some women
face chronic sexual harassment, they start to see the possibilities of
extracting some mileage. Which is why Bhanwari Devi took such a step.
One aspect of the Bhanwari scandal points to the political subjugation
of women. Visram Meena of the All India Scheduled Caste Federation
says often some women are transferred to remote areas and made to
arrive at a compromise (to prevent the transfer) through various
representatives. Once the woman gets caught in this mess, she falls
victim to the very people she'd trusted to help her out.
MLAs exercise discretionary power over state employees' transfers,
promotions, etc. According to Moola Ram, a leader of Scheduled Castes
and Tribes in Jodhpur, sexual exploitation of women involved in
Panchayati Raj also takes place in a similar way: at the MLA's will.
Bhanwari and Maderna met for the first time when the issue of the
former's transfer from Jaisalmer to Borunda came up. It is from here
that she got tossed into the political fray and those who promised her
an MLA ticket or Zila Parishad membership only gave false hopes.
The character assassination of Bhanwari has also extended to saying
that she belongs to the Nat caste, dance and theatre being their
traditional occupation.
Maderna's wife Leela, who is president of the State Cooperative Bank,
has the same argument to offer. "This has been going on since the days
of kings," she told TEHELKA. People associated with the politics of
caste are of the opinion that her caste is being targeted to weaken
her case. Even if she is from the Nat community, the politicians have
exploited her caste to their advantage. Moola Ram says that the number
of government officials in Rajasthan belonging to the Nat caste is
just 15-20. Hence Bhanwari's voice has got suppressed in the corridors
of power.
It is also being projected that Bhanwari, who had a wide reach in
higher political circles, was earning well and living a life of luxury
in spite of coming from a modest background. Social activist
Chakraram, associated with Bhanwari's family, says that even he was
amazed by the massive property shown on TV as belonging to Bhanwari.
He says that the worth of Bhanwari's property might run into a few
lakhs, but is being projected out of proportion.
The malicious rumour-mongering has also extended to Bhanwari's
daughter Ashwini — that she studies in one of the most expensive
schools in Jaipur. In reality, she is a Class 10 student in a
government-run girls' high school.
With various 'parties' involved in the scandal washing their hands off
the issue, only her family worries about the whereabouts of Bhanwari
Devi.
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