ONLY A  FOOL CAN BELIEVE: SHIVANAND  TIWARI

3-JULY-ENG 16

RAJIV  NAYAN  AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------Senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari said that Digvijay ji was a very wonderful person. Yesterday was the second death anniversary of Digvijay Singh ji. Saw in today's newspapers that Nitish ji had gone to Gidhaur to attend the memorial function organized on this occasion. Digvijay ji was a very wonderful person. Very proud. Friend-loving. I met him in JNU. There was a very active unit of Lohia Vichar Manch in JNU. Digvijay ji was very popular among the students of JNU. Kishan Patnaik was our leader. In those days, whenever we had to go to Delhi, we would stop at JNU's Ganga Hostel. During those days I met Digvijay ji for the first time.

In 1980, a national conference of Lohia Vichar Manch was held in Bangalore. Digvijay ji was present in that conference. In that conference, it was decided to give the form of a political organization to Lohia Vichar Manch. It was named Samata Sangathan. Although Nitish ji was also associated with Lohia Vichar Manch, but he was not present in that conference in Bangalore. There I was made the national convenor of Samata Sangathan. I did not contest the assembly elections of 77 and 80. But I contested the 1985 elections. The Congress candidate from there was Vindeshwari. In those days Dubey ji was the president of Bihar Pradesh Congress Party. I lost. Somehow my deposit was saved.

Nitish ji became MLA in 85. Lok Sabha elections were held in 89 and Nitish won the Lok Sabha election from Barh. He became a minister of state in VP Singh's government. Congress lost in the assembly elections of 90. Janata Party formed the government. Lalu Yadav became the Chief Minister. After a few days, we had differences with Lalu ji and along with Nitish Kumar and George sahab, we parted ways with Lalu ji. Along with George sahab, fourteen MPs also parted ways with Janata Party. Digvijay ji was one of them. In those days, he was a member of Rajya Sabha. Thus, Digvijay ji was one of the founding members of Samata Party.

Nitish Kumar was the face of Samata Party as an alternative to Lalu Yadav. But Digvijay ji did not consider Nitish as his leader but George sahab. Digvijay ji was a proud person. I had once said about Nitish ji that he is a spineless leader. Such people who are proud are an eyesore.

I remember that in 2009, Digvijay ji's name was not in the list of candidates published for Lok Sabha. That day, I was in Patna. I rushed to the Chief Minister's residence. I asked Nitish how did this happen! Digvijay Singh's name is not in the list of candidates! Nitish Kumar replied with his eyes down that Sharad ji and Lalan Singh opposed it. I said that you are doing wrong. Only a fool can believe that you want to make someone a candidate and Sharad ji or Lalan stop you.

Digvijay was a member of Rajya Sabha in those days. He resigned from that membership and contested against Nitish Kumar as an independent candidate from Banka Lok Sabha. Nitish was defeated and the people there sent Digvijay to the Lok Sabha. It was an extraordinary victory. Digvijay ji passed away due to brain hemorrhage after a few days.

It can also be said that the stress he had to face in that election, the kind of hard work he had to do, probably became the reason for his untimely death. After his death, the people there made his wife Putul ji win. I also attended his nomination meeting. Tomorrow when Nitish will be speaking in his memorial meeting, I don't know whether he will have a sense of guilt in his mind or not. Shivanand.