PATNA: He has bodily lifted several political heavweights out of the Bihar Assembly–some of whom went on to become chief ministers–after they were ordered to be marshaled out.
Now, 62-year-old Bhanu Prakash Sinha, a burly six-footer and a former Army Captain who has removed Karpoori Thakur and Lalu Prasad from the Assembly when they were opposition leaders, wants to record his deeds as a marshal during his 27-year stint in the House by writing a memoir.
At one point, Prasad, a former chief minister known for his rustic humor, appeared to enjoy his eviction from the House at the hands of Sinha SO MUCH that he jokingly told him to throw him out more often so that he can become the country’s prime minister.
Recounting his experience, Capt (retd) Sinha told PTI today how he was embarrassed when he had to bodily lift Karpoori Thakur, a socialist leader and a former chief minister, from the House when he was the Leader of Opposition in 1977.
“I saluted him and urged him to walk out of the House with me as per instructions of the Chair. I hesitated to use physical force on him, but he told me to do my duty. Later, I had to bodily lift him out of the House,” Sinha said.
On six occasions, Sinha had marshaled out Prasad, chief of RJD, from the House when he was the Opposition leader.
“After offering some resistance he used to fall in line,” said Sinha, who served in the Army between 1971 and 1983 and had postings in areas like Gurez and Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir.
“After he became Chief Minister of Bihar, Prasad once told me jokingly, you threw me out of House six times and I became CM, if you do it 12 times I can become Prime Minister,” said Sinha, who joined as a marshal in 1987.
Sinha recalled that he had to throw 72 MLAs out of the Bihar Assembly in 1987 on the instructions of then Speaker Shiv Chander Jha. . Narrating some awkward moments he had to face, Sinha said he had to use all his skills once to protect Speaker Shiv Chander Jha from women legislators throwing bangles wrapped in paper at him.
“Once a legislator tweaked my ears and blood oozed out when I was lifting him out of the House,” he said.
About Nitish Kumar, he said the Chief Minister was always a disciplined legislator and never created a situation.
“Such is the charm of his oratory and personality that members in the House listened to him with rapt attention even when he was an opposition leader,” he said.
Sinha, who was trained as a marshal in Parliament, said he was never afraid of any legislator however powerful, but did his duty as instructed by the chair without harboring any grievance.
About present Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary, Sinha said he was a strict disciplinarian and cared for the Assembly staff. -PTI
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