JDU Leader Ashok Chaudhury Sparks Controversy with Comments on Bhumihars

Patna: Senior JDU leader and Rural Development Minister, Ashok Chaudhury, is facing flak from NDA leaders for his reported comments against upper-caste Bhumihars in Jahanabad, 60 km from here.

Chaudhury alleged that JDU candidate Chandreshwar Chandravanshi lost the Lok Sabha elections because Bhumihars did not vote for him, despite Nitish Kumar's development works in Bhumihar-dominated areas. As a Dalit leader, Chaudhury claimed influential Bhumihar leaders abandoned Jehanabad and vacationed in Delhi, Bangalore, and Kolkata due to the fielding of an Extremely Backward Caste (EBC) candidate.

However, his ministerial colleague and senior JDU leader, Shrawan Kumar, regretted Chaudhury's comments, stating that his allegations against Bhumihars were untrue and that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar never discriminated against any caste.

Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha also condemned Chaudhury's statement, saying it was against national interests and that "Bhumihars are not a caste, but a culture."

JDU Principal Spokesperson Neeraj Kumar also denounced Chaudhury's claims, citing the defeat of JDU candidate Dulal Chandra Goswami, an EBC leader, in Katihar, where Chaudhury was the election in-charge. Chaudhury did not even stay in the constituency.

Later, Chaudhury attempted to pacify NDA leaders by claiming that his father was nurtured by Bhumihar leaders Sri Krishna Sinha and Mahesh Prasad Singh, and that his son-in-law is a Bhumihar."