MOON OF CHANDAWA HIDDEN BEHIND DARK CLOUDS

MOON OF CHANDAWA HIDDEN BEHIND DARK CLOUDS

8-JULY-ENG 22

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------Following a floral tribute at the memorial site of India's former Deputy Prime Minister in Chandwa, a commemorative meeting and an interfaith prayer gathering were organized on the occasion of 'Babu Ji's' 40th death anniversary. The event was led by Dr. Anshul Kumar, a Congress national spokesperson and son of Meira Kumar, and was conducted by Sita Ram Ravi.

A crowd comprising both common citizens and prominent figures gathered at the memorial to pay their respects. During the interfaith prayer, Vyas Kamlesh "Anand"—accompanied by his team, including tabla player Devesh Dubey and Buchul on the pianet—presented *Shiv Narayani* bhajans. Meanwhile, Ramdhani from Gaya sang a song about Babu Ji's life, and Sardar Sarvjit Singh recited *Gurbani*. Alongside Kanhaiya Vyas, Shashank Jain of the Jain community chanted mantras from the Jain faith.

When asked about the absence of certain officials, MLA Alok Kumar Singh (from Dinara), Rinku Devi Bind (Rohtas District President of Mahila Congress), and Amarjit Kumar (President of Rashtriya Jagjivan Sangh) responded that regardless of whether the administration or local ministers and MLAs attended, Babu Ji belonged to everyone; the crowd of his supporters was evident for all to see. The event was attended by senior RJD leader Hakim Prasad, Congress Bhojpur District President Shridhar Tiwari, former President Ashok Ram, local JD(U) leader and advocate Devi Dayal Ram, and event coordinator Surya Prakash, along with Congress leaders from Rohtas, Kaimur, and Buxar. However, a recurring topic of discussion was the lack of special arrangements by the district administration and the absence of any administrative representative. Furthermore, prominent figures from parties such as the BJP, JD(U), and HAM—including the local BJP MLA and minister—were notably absent. This led to speculation that the "Moon of Chandwa" was being obscured by dark clouds this time; in other words, other political parties appear to be viewing Babu Ji merely as a Congress leader.