Again and again, I hear the term “jungle raj” being tossed about like a rotten tomato at a fair, hurled by those in power at the previous rulers of Bihar. Apparently, during Lalu’s time, it was jungle raj — lawlessness, chaos, crime, and the collapse of governance. But forgive me if I scratch my head a little, because when I look around the country today, I wonder if the jungle has not merely moved from Patna to Delhi, and from Bihar to Bharat itself.

Tell me, what exactly is jungle raj? Is it when criminals roam free, or when those meant to uphold the law turn predators themselves? Is it when the Constitution becomes a hunting manual, and democracy the prey? Because, if so, the trees are rustling and the beasts are roaring all around.

Women today live in fear. Every few days, we read of another brutal rape, and not in some remote corner of the land but often in states that boast of good governance. Foreign embassies quietly issue advisories warning their citizens about women’s safety in India. Isn’t that jungle raj? Or does jungle raj only count when it happens in a state ruled by the other party?

People are lynched — sometimes because of their food, sometimes their faith, and sometimes because someone with a smartphone wanted a viral video. Stampedes crush hundreds, yet no official resigns, no police officer is held accountable. Journalists write the truth and are either silenced or jailed. Those who speak against the government suddenly find the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax Department, and the local police knocking at their doors. Bulldozers, once symbols of development, have become weapons of fear, flattening homes and dreams without a court order.

So, who are we to point fingers at Bihar? The so-called “jungle raj” there at least came with buffaloes and cows on the streets, not bulldozers outside people’s homes. It came with loud laughter and earthy jokes, not silence and surveillance. I am not saying Bihar was perfect — far from it — but today’s accusers should look into the mirror before speaking of jungles, for they may find tigers staring back.

The tragedy is that we, the citizens, have stopped noticing the jungle growing around us. We clap at speeches warning us of what once was, while living inside what now is. The trees of fear, the creepers of corruption, and the beasts of power prowl freely, and we call it progress.

Perhaps the time has come for the people of Bihar, and indeed the rest of India, to see through this jungle fog. The real jungle raj is not in history books or political speeches — it is right here, right now, when law bends to power and truth hides in the shadows. The jungle has spread, my friends, and if we do not act soon, we will not just live in it — we will become victims of it..!

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