who has got the scholars

The Manalim give you the impression, and oftentimes they say it explicitly, that that the militant neo-Litvacks - the Manalim - have all the great scholars. They own the mesorah and therefore they own the religion. You have to do everything their way.

But there have been many great Chassidic scholars. Countless. It started with the Besht who studied with the prophet Achiya Hashiloni.  

Besht was supported at the beginning of his career by two prominent Talmudists, the brothers Meïr (chief rabbi of Lemberg and later Ostroha, and author of Meir Netivim (a work of halachic responsa) and other works) and Isaac Dov Margalios. Later he won over recognized rabbinic authorities who became his disciples and attested to his scholarship. These include Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Hakohen, rabbi of Polnoy; Rabbi Dovid Halperin, rabbi of Ostroha; Rabbi Israel of Satinov, author of Tiferet Yisrael; Rabbi Yoseph Heilperin of Slosowitz; and Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezrich (AKA the Maggid of Mezritch). It is chiefly due to the latter that Besht's doctrines (though in an essentially altered form) were introduced into learned Jewish religious circles.

Then there was the Magid and his entire group of Chassidim:

His inner circle of disciples, known as the Chevraia Kadisha ("Holy Brotherhood"), included Rabbis Avraham HaMalach (his son), Nachum of Czernobyl, Elimelech of Lizhensk, Zusha of Hanipol, Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, Boruch of Medzhybizh, Aharon (HaGadol) of Karlin, Chaim Chaykl of Amdur, Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, Shmuel Shmelke of Nikolsburg, Shlomo Flam (the Lutzker Maggid) and Shneur Zalman of Liadi.

From there it passed on to an ocean of scholarship. There's the Mitteler, Tzemach Tzedck, Eglei Tal, Rav Tzadock, Rogachover, Satmar Rebbe, Imrei Emes, Lub. Rebbe, Menashe Klein, Meshulam Roth et al.

R Meshulam Roth

Did they tell you about Meshulam Roth in BT school? They didn't tell me. But here's a little about him from Rabbi Eliezer Melamed who called Rabbi Roth "the true Torah genius," who Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook called the Gadol HaDor after his father's generation.

As a young child, Rabbi Meshulam was a great shakdan (diligent Torah student), and thanks to his outstanding ability, grew in Torah. His father was a Chortkov hassid, a branch of the Hassidic Dynasty of Ruzhyn. The first time his father took him to the Grand Rebbe, Rabbi David Moshe of Chortkov, Rabbi Meshulam was nine years old. Being studious , he went with hundreds of hassidim to hear the drasha (sermon) of city's Rabbi, a great Talmid Chacham.

Following the in-depth drasha, some of the hassidim asked the child if he understood what was said, for they saw that he had shaken his head in agreement during the drasha. The boy replied that he understood, and could even repeat it. The hassidim stood him on a table, and the boy repeated the drasha exactly, without missing a word. He even reenacted the Rabbi’s movements exactly at the precise time they occurred – when the Rabbi had stroked his beard, or held his forehead, the boy repeated these movements as well.

After the Rabbi of Zalzczyki tested him extensively, the Gaon Rabbi Leibella Bernfeld, said: “This child is like someone who repeats his studies not a hundred and one times, but rather, a thousand and one times!” He even studied books of machshava (Jewish thought) such as ‘Akedat Yitzchak\ while still a child, and when others had doubts, he was able to review and discuss the book. Due to his special genius, he was able to read and become well versed in the subjects of nature, history and philosophy in a short time.

Why don't the Manalim talk about R' Roth? It's because like any cult leaders they isolate you and give the impression that they are the authorities. He was chassidic and zionistic, so they pretend that he didn't exist. 

If they told you about the Rogachover, did they tell you he was Chabad?

Belz produced numerous scholars and was very dedicated to Torah study:

Unlike other groups which formed yeshivas in pre-war Poland, Belz maintained a unique yoshvim program, developed by Rabbi Yissachar Dov, which produced many outstanding Torah scholars. The yoshvim were married and unmarried men who remained in the synagogue all day to study the Talmud, pray, and derive inspiration from their Rebbe. They were supported by local businessmen, and their food and other necessities were brought to them so they wouldn't have to leave the synagogue for even a short time. Some yoshvim even slept in the synagogue on benches. They typically remained in this program until the Rebbe would tell them to return home to their wives and families.

Satmar has produced many significant scholars. Satmar Dayanim. Someone told me the two top students at the Mir today are Chassidic, one of them Chabad. I could go on. 

But even many of the top so-called Livitsh scholars are first of all not Litvish, they are Russian. And secondly, they grew up Chassidic.

Moshe Feinstein would be at the top of the list. He grew up Chassidic. His father was a follower of the Radmonsker Rebbe.

Radomsker

The Steipler was born in Ukraine to Rabbi Chaim Peretz Kanievsky, a Chernobyl Chassid. 

Rav Ruderman grew up Chabad. Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky's father and grandfather davened with Chassidim and his mother's line is connected to Chabad. He was a cousin of Rav Ruderman. Rav Hutner's maternal line was Gur. R' Shraga Feivel Mendovitz was Chassidic. That's actually the majority of the top names in America.

Then there's all the great scholars of more Litivsh origins, although many are from Russia, who were ostracized for having broader minds: Rav Herzog, Rav Soloveitchik, Rav Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg who wasn't tossed away as much (like Rav Hutner) because he towed the line more.

Then there's the Sephardic scholars. Who in our time had more encylopedic knowledge than Ovadia Yosef.

In short, this attempt to steal the mesorach is exactly that - theft.