Nitish-BJP: Back to friends from foes
CHANGING EQUATIONS Not only the Bihar chief minister, politics is full of instances where parties and individuals reverse their stance
The 19th-century German statesman Otto von Bismarck said “politics is the art of the possible, the attainable ... the art of the next best” and it aptly describes Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s yet another political somersault to seek renewal of ties with a friend-turned-foeturned-friend — the BJP.
Nitish had taken a moral high ground in June 2013 when he broke his 17-year tie with the BJP over the naming of Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In August 2014, he joined hands with one of his bitter rivals of two decades and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad for assembly by-polls in Bihar after their respective parties were routed in the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress also became a part of the so-called secular formation.
Nitish then insisted the alliance between his Janata Dal (United) and RJD was the need of the hour as the country was in danger with the Modi government out to spread religious passion to grab power in states.
The ‘Mahagathbandhan’or grand alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress defied the Modi wave to register a stupendous victory in the 2015 assembly elections, which saw vicious campaigning.
At a rally in Muzaffarpur on July 25, 2015, Modi attacked Nitish over his frequent change of political allegiances, saying it seemed there was “some problem with Nitish Kumar’s DNA”.
“I was hurt when he withdrew his support. But when he did the same thing to a Mahadalit such as Jitan Manjhi, then I figured out there is something wrong in his political DNA,” Modi had said.
Nitish termed the remarks as an “insult” to the people of Bihar and insisted this gave “credence to the feeling that Modi and his party hold a prejudice” against the people of the state.
Two years later, on Tuesday, Nitish wholeheartedly thanked Modi for congratulating him on his decision to resign as CM of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ over allegations of corruption against Prasad’s family members.
Maintaining that he listened to his “inner conscience”, Nitish within minutes met BJP leaders to formalise his return to the NDA fold after a gap of nearly four years and finalise the shape of his new government.
But Nitish is not alone in such flip-flops in politics.
On September 27, 2013, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi stormed the Press Club of India in Delhi unannounced to criticise the UPA government’s ordinance that sought to reverse a Supreme Court judgment on the immediate disqualification of lawmakers convicted in a criminal case carrying jail terms of more than two years.
The move could have helped Prasad, who in September-October 2013 was rendered ineligible from contesting elections for 11 years after being convicted in a corruption case and sentenced to five years in prison by a special CBI court in Ranchi.
“The ordinance is complete nonsense and should be torn up and thrown out,” he said. Gandhi later justified his party’s alliance with Prasad, saying the tie-up was with a political party, with an idea and not an individual.
In 2016, Congress allied with arch-rivals Left Front against Trinamool of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal but battled against each other in Kerala. The grand old party performed badly in both states. Prior to that in Jammu and Kashmir, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and BJP were at each other’s throats in November-December 2014 elections. But in March 2015, the two diametrically opposite ideologies joined hands to form a coalition government. Feb: Internal revolt in ruling Janata Dal in Bihar. Nitish joins the faction opposed to then CM Lalu Prasad June: Nitish quits Janata Dal and floats Samta Party with George Fernandes
March 3: Nitish becomes CM for the first time after assembly elections throw up a hung house. Lasts only till March 10
Oct 30: Janata Dal, led by Sharad Yadav, merges with Samta Party, forming JD (United).
Nov 24: CM Nitish begins second term that lasts till Nov 24, 2010
Nov 26: Returns to power for the third term
June 16: Breaks alliance with BJP after it names Narendra Modi as PM candidate for 2014 Lok Sabha polls
May 17: Resigns as CM a day after NDA wins a landslide victory. NDA bags 31 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar and JD (U) manages just two May 20: Nitish names colleague Jitan Ram Manjhi as CM. Nitish and Manjhi fall apart after 276 days June 5: Nitish named CM candidate of JD (U)-led Grand Alliance (GA)
Nov 8: GA wins 178 out of 243 assembly seats, forms government
Jan 21: First signs of trouble in GA with RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh blaming Nitish for law and order situation in Bihar
Sept 29: Nitish praises surgical strikes by the army across LoC
Nov 9: A day after demonetisation, Nitish and Lalu differ on Modi’s step
Jan 5: PM shares stage with Nitish in Patna, praises him on total prohibition May 26: Nitish skips lunch hosted by Sonia Gandhi to discuss joint Opposition candidate for presidential post
May 27: Nitish attends lunch hosted by Modi in honour of visiting Mauritius PM; also holds private meeting with Modi June 21: Nitish pledges support to former Bihar governor, Ram Nath Kovind, NDA’s candidate for President July 7: CBI raids 12 locations related to Lalu in connection with an alleged land-for-hotel scam. His son and deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, wife Rabri Devi, and business associates named in FIR
July 10: RJD rules out Tejashwi’s resignation
July 11: Nitish breaks silence, tells Tejashwi to reply “fact-wise” in public July 18: Tejashwi meets Nitish after Cabinet meeting to explain his stand July 26: Lalu reiterates Tejashwi will not resign; Nitish submits resignation. BJP extends support to him
July 27: Nitish sworn in as CM