A MASTERSTROKE OR A POLITICAL SUICIDE IN BIHAR?
Nitish Kumar’s exit from INDIA alliance deals blow to opposition’s anti-Modi front
Bihar’s chief minister and Janata Dal (United) supremo, has pulled another fast one. Both on his allies and rivals. But it is hard to tell which was which and who was who. He has wrecked his own coalition government and has trucked with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), whose dominant, if not principal party is the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Over the years Nitish Kumar has acquired the nonetoo-complimentary sobriquet “paltu.” Paltu means one who twists, turns, even somersaults. But its connotation is not entirely translatable.
Sworn in as Bihar’s 22nd chief minister nine years back on February 22, 2015, he had already served as chief minister since 2005, except for a short gap during 2014-2015. On January 28, when he was sworn in once again as chief minister and back in the NDA, it was for an unprecedented ninth time. Kumar is easily Bihar’s longest-lasting CM, having cumulatively served for about 18 years.
No matter that this term will be very short, possibly just three months. For Bihar is likely to opt for simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. But Kumar’s volte face sends an unmistakable message: the INDIA alliance is practically dead. For Rahul Gandhi, the fallout will be ekla cholo re or walk on alone, to invoke a famous song by national poet Rabindranath Tagore. Gandhi, instead of being at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, trying to save his party’s if not the INDIA alliance’s electoral fortunes, is away in remote parts of the country. Or MIA, missing in action, as a capital wag wryly put it.
Advantage BJP
Nitish Kumar’s latest caper may or may not fetch him and the BJP many more seats in the all-important Lok Sabha or general elections of the country coming up in May or sooner, let alone guarantee his return to power in the Bihar next state assembly hustings. In fact, word is that even if the NDA sweeps the latter, Kumar will be shunted out of Bihar to leave the BJP to run the state unfettered. If Nitish Kumar is signing, so to speak, his own political death warrant, he is also hoping to deal a deadly blow to the opposition. Especially its efforts to build an anti-Modi, anti-BJP common front, christened as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or INDIA for short.
While nothing is certain in politics, Kumar’s exit from INDIA clearly means it is advantage BJP. A demoralised and broken opposition will be in no position to stop the Modi steamroller. Kumar’s about turn, ghar wapasi or return home — call it what you will — may have saved his political skin for the 9th time. But, as the popular saying goes, even a cat has only nine lives.
He has certainly lost respect and had to eat humble pie. The gains he brings to BJP may also not amount to much in the long run.