The riddance from governance, which took a grand bashing for 20 months, will lead Bihar back on the track. With NDA in power, the voice for the development will be more loud and meaningful
Ambikesh Kumar Tripathi
Few days back historian and political commentator Ramachandra Guha shared his fantasy with an NDTV anchor which of course made headlines. As a Left-Liberal who nourishes hatred for Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), Guha day dreamed that the Opposition stood a chance against BJP only when Nitish Kumar succeeds in a friendly takeover of the Congress party. The logic in the wish was that the Congress is a party without a leader, and Nitish Kumar was a leader without a party. Thus their convergence of interest would have a party with a tall leader, or a collective opposition with a leader to take on Narendra Modi in 2019.
However, a romantic scholar never makes an astute politician. The reason for this is simple. Politics in India is a roller coaster of individuals, processes, interests, and more importantly of timing. Nitish Kumar in 2013 having denied that he was a potential Prime Minister candidate succeeded in alluring him with the possibility of becoming one someday. Having shattered his decade long tie-up with BJP, Nitish perhaps hoped to add one more feather in his cap of accomplishments.
This feather was one of secular politics, which when compounded with the politics of performance was going to make Nitish a hero for opposition forces. Nitish parted ways on the naming of Narendra Modi as the possible leader of NDA and he highlighted his unwillingness over the choice calling it names and labelling it as communal. No wonder, Nitish was praised and Left-Liberals of this country were appeased by his move.
In the two decisive battles of 2014 and 2015, the results upheld both the leaders—Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar consecutively. While Modi wave swept away Bihar in 2014 Lok Sabha election, Nitish along with his old friend turned foe turned friend again, Lalu Prasad succeeded in halting the Modi wave in 2015 Bihar Vidhan Sabha election. The tie-breaker was then inevitably shifted to 2019, and Nitish Kumar was being groomed by the opposition to be fielded as a possible face against Naredra Modi.
What went Wrong?
Is the above analysis which figures as a perception and draws on the logic was going to take-off, really? A political pundit would disagree. Indian Politics has always been more about individuals than processes. The near political retirement of Nitish Kumar after 2014 carnage in Bihar, and his coming back strongly with the grand alliance is a narrative filled with inner contradictions. Nitish along with BJP came to power first in 2005 in Bihar on a promise to build on the politics of performance (sushasan) which was unreal in 15 years of RJD manufactured Jungle Raj.
And he delivered with BJP as a team, no doubt. Bad governance, epidemic scale poverty, corruption, goondaism, wretched infrastructure, caste wars, etc. which had become the defining features of RJD rule were done away with, gradually during 2005-2013 under NDA. In between 2013-2017, Bihar again took a stroll towards the same menaces which Nitish had promised to chase away. Especially after the grand alliance, the crime rate had gone up with instances of MLC’s son shooting people in a road rage. Nitish persistently claimed that liquor ban has pulled down the crime rate in the State. On the contrary, the national media showed gangster-politician Mohammed Shahabuddin’s men mocking the law and order on the highways of Bihar which NDA had painstakingly repaired. RJD’s very own Shahabuddhin was heard to have been dictating the shuffling and transfer of senior police officers while remaining behind the bars in an expose by Republic TV.
As it was anticipated, the persistent claim of Nitish Kumar in his 2015 election campaigns that after the grand alliance’s victory, Bihar will continue to have ‘kanun ka Raj’ (law and order) was proven wrong. The Jungle Raj started coming back heavily. Nitish was been left with no choice. On the other side, the decisive and bold leadership of Narendra Modi and continuing BJP victory tide reaffirmed that Modi is the leader today.
Demonetisation and thereafter
Taking exception to a collective attack by the Opposition, Nitish Kumar praised the move of demonetisation and also asked the Central Government to hit on the benami property. This was the first signal that he shares the larger concern of ‘zero tolerance’ on corruption. Second crucial move came in with the support to NDA candidate, Shri Ram Nath Kovind for the Presidential election with the reasoning that he had served as the Bihar Governor in a good spirit. By not characterising the candidacy as a ruling-Opposition party’s battle, Nitish had made it clear that he wishes to be confined inside Bihar and wants to work for its upliftment and development.
It seems that once when Nitish made up his mind to focus on Bihar and not on Delhi, he was desperately in the need of a better ally in Bihar having been turned off and back stabbed in the grand alliance many times. And who was better than the same old friends- BJP? One must look the going back to BJP as the effective politics of positive action, and not as an opportunism or no-choice left kind of compromise. Nitish Kumar has time and again revoked the charges of siding up with the alleged communal BJP, while
provoking the agenda of performance and deliverance for the people of Bihar.
Epilogue
Nitish Kumar reportedly said in 2013 that “Everything cannot be measured in terms of electoral gain or loss, the
battle against Narendra Modi goes beyond merely electoral battles, it is a battle of ideas.” Come July, 2017, soon after Nitish Kumar resigned pressured under the unworkable environment in his alliance with RJD, Narendra Modi welcomed him back. The PM tweeted a congratulatory note and invited Nitish Kumar to join-in the crusade against corruption. The tweet also appealed “to rise above political differences and fight against corruption in country and in Bihar in particular, for development is the need of the hour.”
This is an excerpt of the Politics 2.0 which came into effect after the rise of Narendra Modi-Amit Shah jugalbandi. BJP and JD (U) have again come together against corruption ridden politics, and for pushing the reach of politics of performance.
As far as Nitish Kumar’s to-and-fro oscillation is concerned, one hopes that he learnt his lessons and would prioritise his political motives more effectively now. The riddance of bad governance which took a grand alliance bashing for 20 months in Bihar may well return back on the track. With NDA in power, the voice for the development of the state is more forceful now.
(The writer is an Assistant Professor (Political Science) at Govt. P.G. College, Dwarahat, Uttarakhand)
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