Md Mahtab Alam: How A Young Man From A Middle-Class Family Became Youth Leader In Bihar

There’s only a handful number of politicians that become role model of the Indian youth. One of them is RJD youth leader Md. Mahtab Alam. The youth of Bihar identifies him as a social activist and a strong leader. He is amongst the first to understand the plight of common people and stands by them for their rights and freedom. The 32-year old Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) leader actively speaks for the citizens whose voice goes misheard.

Md. Mahtab was born in Siwan, Bihar, to a middle-class family. His father was a government employee as he worked in Bihar Electricity Board. Mahtab completed his schooling in Patna and moved to Pune for further studies. He enrolled himself at Symbiosis Institute and completed his graduation and post-graduation in MBA.

During an interview, Md. Mahtab revealed that when he first moved out of Bihar for higher education, only one train from Patna to Pune ran only once a week. The connectivity issues between the two states bothered him a lot. He says that he had decided to find a solution to this problem. Mahtab talked to many migrant students and wrote about 30,000 letters to the Railway Ministry at that time.

Mahtab says, “Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Railway Minister at that time. Upon receiving thousands of letters from students, he considered our request and announced the train four days a week. That was my first victory in terms of public interest.”

Md. Mahtab reveals that he never intended to join politics, but whenever he did something for the masses, it gave him satisfaction like no other thing could provide. Speaking further, he said, “I had no political background. But my grandfather was a member of the Bihar Labour Union. I grew up watching him participate in protests and raising his voice for people’s welfare. His activities had subconsciously impacted me. He was always my inspiration, even though I never planned to join politics.”

Mahtab’s small but significant steps towards people’s welfare during his stay in Pune made him realise his true potential. After completing MBA, while his batch mates joined MNCs or started a business, he embarked on his political journey. He came back to Patna and met Lalu Prasad Yadav’s eldest son Tej Pratap Yadav. There was no turning back for him after that. He joined Rashtriya Janta Dal and became an active voice for the youth.

Even after years in politics, Md Mahtab has stayed true to his core values and moral principles. During the lockdown due to Covid-19, he worked at a ground level to help the people in need. He arranged for transportation and food for Bihar based migrants stuck in other states. He worked rigorously to help people get proper treatment and medicines suffering from Covid-19. In this selfless duty, he contracted the deadly virus himself but came back stronger. Seeing his passion for public welfare has motivated the youth of Bihar to dream big and work hard. He has also become a role model for youngsters who wish to join politics and bring a positive change to the nation.