Nitish wins Bihar floor test, former allies protest
Experts say new alliance with the ‘force’ will be different from what existed earlier when the JD(U) leader was in command and things moved in the desired direction
PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar comfortably won a trust vote in the assembly on Friday, securing the support of 131 legislators including those of his new ally BJP, but insisted that his change of sides was for “sewa” and not “mewa”.
Kumar’s fresh stint as the CM came two days after he surprised his former coalition partners, the RJD and the Congress, by parting ways and returning to the BJP, his former ally with which he ran a previous coalition till 2013.
“To be in power devolves great responsibility to govern, not earn. Yeh sewa ka Avsar hai, na ki mewa ka (It is an opportunity to serve, not profit,” he said before seeking the trust vote. “I faced lot of resistance trying to run the government in the best interest of people of Bihar and preserve the mahagathbandhan, but failed due to RJD’s attitude,” he said.
“Nobody has the right to preach to me on secularism. It is not meant to be used as cover up for corrupt deeds. I quit for Bihar and will continue to work for Bihar,” he said.
The RJD and Congress’ demand for a secret ballot was turned down by speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary.
After the speaker’s proposal for a voice vote was rejected, a lobby division method was opted for. The RJD-led opposition secured 108 votes. Three legislators did not vote, including BJP’s Anand Bhushan Pandey, who was sick, while incarcerated RJD MLA Rajballabh Yadav was in jail and Congress’ Sudarshan Kumar could not vote due to a technical reason.
PATNA:Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar may have to work with a more assertive and aggressive BJP than the party he allied with earlier, when the saffronites readily played second fiddle, experts and political leaders say.
Kumar begins a fresh innings heading an NDA government but the scenario has changed radically despite the fact that the BJP has been reduced to 53 MLAs from the 91 it had in 2010.
For one, the BJP’s reach now extends through the length and breath of the country, including Bihar’s immediate neighbours — Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
“There is no denying the fact that new alliance will be different from what existed earlier when Kumar was in complete command and things moved in the desired direction,” said DM Diwakar, a political scientist from the AN Sinha Institute.
“BJP is a force now and you cannot rule out the emergence of Hindu affiliates and more agressiveness, etc.,” he added.
Kumar’s ally may also not forget that he has been foraying into Jharkhand, and organising rallies for prohibition along with former BJP man and former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi. This has not gone down well with present Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das.
Kumar has also been a target of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath over the BJP’s stance on triple talaq. Kumar had countered the jibe, asking Yogi to first enforce prohibition in UP.
Yogi, who visited Bihar recently, had predicted that the so-called grand alliance won’t last long. “Nature would not tolerate such an incompatible marriage. There will soon be a cleanliness drive in Bihar,” he said at a rally at Darbhanga.
A top Bihar BJP leader admitted “it is not the same old BJP”. “Although we are less in number, the fact is that we have our own agenda and will pursue it,” the leader said.
Social scientist Saibal Gupta of the Patna-based Asian Development Research Institute, however, felt “things would be smoother for Nitish than it was under GA”.