Ruled or Misruled

"I have become a fan of this man. One should just meet him to know..." This is what Nitish Kumar had sai about his now bitter foe Narendra Modi after NDA's 2004 defeat.
"I feel like tying my PWD minister on an empty tractor trolley and run the vehicle at a speed of 60km per hourto make him realise how people suffer when they travel on these roads", says Lalu, conceding the terrible conditionof Bihar roads.
Ruled or Misruled, Story and Destiny of Bihar by The Indian Express' Assistant Editor SANTOSH SINGH offers a 360 degree journey of Bihar politics since Independence, especially since the Congress' downfall in 1990. An out and out reporter's book, it tells an interesting and tumultuous journey of the post-1990 legends of Bihar politics - Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi with the legendary clash between Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi - with the untold version on the 2010 dinner cancellation and Nitish's ambition, providing the third angle. Right from revealing JP's dilemma between Lalu and Nitish to socialist leader Karpoori Thakur out-thinking the Congress with his simplicity. From Jagannath Mishra making a confession on his controversial 1982 Anti-Press Bill to the numerous tales of vernaculariszation of politics and giving a voice to the poor by Lalu, the writer also traces the story of the making of the Ranbir Sena at the height of caste wars. The stories of repair, hope and construction under Nitish Kumar, disillusionment and new political realignment after the 2013 NDA split, Nitish and Lalu coming together again after two decades and Nitish almost walking out of the Lalu alliance again are just as captivating. Jitan Ram Manjhi, who makes startling revelations on how he played a dummy for Nitish and Ram Vilas Paswan, also concedes the real truth of his Godhra stand.

Santosh Singh was born in August 1971 at Bhagalpur. He studied English Literature at the Bhagalpur University (now known as Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University) and did his Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Bangalore. He started his career with The Asian Age, New Delhi in June 1998, joined The Statesman in January 2000 and worked with the newspaper at New Delhi and Bhopal. He joined The Telegraph, Patna in April 2006.
Santosh has been working with The Indian Express since June 2008, and has extensively covered Bihar. He got KC Kulish International Award for Excellence in Print Journalism (2009) for the theme of "inclusive development", The Statesman Award for Rural Reporting (2010) for a cluster of four stories including one on a Samastipur mukhiya for challenging caste system, making his panchayat bribe free and introducing technology in village, Express Excellence Award (June 2012) and the Press Council of India's National Awards for Excellence in Journalism (Development Journalism Award, 2013) for seven-part Mahadalit land scam series.
Santosh lives at Patna, Bihar.