NITISH SCRIPTS A PERECT EXIT FROM GRAND ALIANCE
“A perfect script,” commented a film critic, watching the fast moving developments in Patna and New Delhi on the small screen, regarding the sudden resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his bouncing back in the saddle within 24 hours as a six-time CM. “It is a thriller.” His colleague, a chess player, felt that in the whole suspenseful game “Nitish Babu turned out to be a pawn.” In his opinion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi must be a good chess player. Although no one can fault Nitish for taking a tough stand against the “corrupt family” of Lalu Prasad Yadav, his opponents in political circles are surprised with the way he has gone back to the BJP. Only time will tell whether Nitish has used the BJP or the lotus followers have succeeded in making him look like a turncoat. The timing is highly significant. For past some months, Bihar’s Modi (Sushil Kumar, who was the Deputy CM when the BJP was in alliance with the JDU), began making public, confidential documents related to various alleged scams associated with the members of Lalu’s family. Then PM Modi picked Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind to be the Presidential candidate. Immediately, Nitish extended his party’s support, sending shockwaves through the opposition quarters. And within half-an-hour of Nitish’s resignation on Wednesday, PM Modi tweeted, congratulating him for joining the brigade fighting against the corruption. Nitish thanked him instantly. The message was loud and clear. It seems that the groundwork for all the high political drama was in preparation for months. This writer suspected that something was cooking between Nitish and BJP when a JDU Member of Parliament told him three months ago that two BJP MPs from Bihar had telephoned him to say that they had done a survey which showed that “Nitish Babu’s graph was rising”. Social media is full of references to Nitish. One WhatsApp message advised: “Before you quit your job, always ensure that you have your next job in hand. Be in touch with your previous employers also.” Another one on “Launching CM portability” said: “Your CM will be the same, only service provider has been changed.”