A Victory of Truth: The Rare Words Manju Sinha Spoke When Nitish Kumar Took Oath in 2005

She has always stayed away from the glare of headlines. Neither public visibility nor ceremonial grandeur ever held any appeal for Manju Sinha, a teacher who knew her role and its quiet dignity. Yet, on 24 November 2005, as Patna’s Gandhi Maidan overflowed with people, she found herself amid a historic moment — one that brought an unguarded shimmer of emotion to her eyes.

The crowd that day mirrored a mood of hope. Bihar, long weighed down by despair, sensed the beginnings of a fresh dawn. As writer Murli Manohar Srivastava later noted in his book Vikas Purush, “Everyone could already see that the helmsman Bihar needed was taking oath today.”

The sprawling maidan held two worlds together — an ocean of ordinary people on one side, dignitaries on the other. Among them sat the new chief minister’s wife, Manju Sinha, her only son Nishant Kumar, and a cluster of relatives. The sight before her — her life partner being formally entrusted with the task of rebuilding Bihar — brought tears that glimmered and retreated in the same breath.

In many households, a sudden rise in stature brings an unmistakable air of superiority. But even in that moment of significance, Manju Sinha carried herself with a composure that only deepened the sense of respect around her.

When journalists approached her for a reaction to Nitish Kumar’s victory, she answered with the same unadorned simplicity that marked her life.

> “This is a victory of what is right, of the common people,” she said. “It is truth prevailing over falsehood. The expectations people have from him — I am sure he will try his best to fulfil them. Bihar will see a government of good governance.”

Her words travelled widely. The next day, newspapers across Bihar and the country placed her statement alongside the news of the oath-taking on Page One, capturing the broader sentiment around the political transition.

At the time, she was a teacher at Kamla Nehru Girls’ School in Patna’s Yarpur locality. And even after Nitish Kumar assumed office as Chief Minister, nothing in her behaviour, her routine, or her speech changed. She did not stop going to school. She continued teaching as she always had, refusing to view herself through the lens of her husband’s office.

This steadfast simplicity, many close to the family say, gave Nitish Kumar a deeper moral anchor — a grounding that strengthened his political resolve.