Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Ends Speculation

“Neither am I keen, nor am I willing to take up the post of the President.” This was Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s reaction to the ongoing rumours, which he termed “baseless”, as he denied any conspiracy to create differences between him and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) top leadership.

Kumar’s name reportedly came up for a discussion in a meeting between Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stalwart Sharad Pawar in Hyderabad.

Kumar was at the centre of a political storm ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, as he quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after Narendra Modi was declared the PM candidate.

This time, the Janata Dal (United) leader has already brushed it aside. However, political pundits and leaders are trying to understand what they believe is a hush-hush political move.

ON A YATRA

Far away from Patna on his ‘Samaj Sudhar Yatra’, Kumar has been trying to bolster his image as a socialist leader and defend his prohibition policy, which was recently under attack from the BJP and the opposition due to the hooch tragedy.

Kumar, who is heading a coalition government with the BJP in Bihar, has become the longest-serving chief minister of the state. Even after creating a record of sorts, he is not ready to hang his boots.

His penchant to create wider public opinion against liquor consumption and dowry is gaining a lot of currency in the state, although the opposition, namely Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), blames him for not creating enough jobs.

More so, his social reform yatra is being seen as a move to energise his cadre, in case of any political contingency.

Cornered during the last 2020 assembly polls, JD (U) lost quite a few seats to smaller parties. Consequently, Kumar has been on an overdrive to touch base with his core vote bank, especially women, who had prompted him to introduce prohibition in the state.

A JD (U) insider close to the chief minister said that if Nitish Kumar would like to be the president, he can go with the NDA, instead of the opposition, which might not have the required number to get him elected.

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THE UP POLL EFFECT?

Then why the political hubbub during the ongoing Uttar Pradesh elections?

A section of JD (U) leaders is wary of the outcome of Uttar Pradesh polls, with the RJD hoping it might change Bihar’s political scenario too.

If the BJP comes back to power in Uttar Pradesh strongly, the BJP cadre in Bihar might seize the momentum and demand a bigger share in power.

The recent squabble between the BJP and JD (U) is an indication that the BJP is in no mood to lower its guard against the junior partner.

State BJP chief Sanjay Agrawal has been firing salvo against the Kumar government, in which the BJP is a partner.

However, Modi recently dropped a hint by praising Nitish Kumar for his socialist credentials and corruption-free image. The BJP’s Bihar unit had no option but to second what the PM said about Nitish Kumar.

‘PM MATERIAL’

Kumar is no stranger to political controversy. A few months ago, senior JD (U) leader Upendra Kushwaha said that he was “PM material.” His claim was duly backed by party chief Lallan Singh, only to be downplayed by Nitish Kumar during the sidelines of the party meeting in Delhi.

Kumar guards his cards well and keeps his adversaries guessing.

Political observer Sankarshan Thakur, in his book ‘Single man’, spelt out how Kumar espoused the socio-economic rights of religious minorities and the underprivileged. He used to stop his speeches if a muezzin called for prayers.

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“The year 2012 was the period when Nitish Kumar was hailed as the PM candidate across the border in Pakistan,” reminisced NK Singh, then Rajya Sabha member who had accompanied Kumar to Pakistan. There were billboards and graffitis in Urdu welcoming him as the would-be PM.

The famous clash between the titans was widely mentioned in the book ‘Ruled or Misruled — Story and destiny of Bihar’ by Santosh Singh.

Kumar’s on-stage spat with Modi has long been over. What is being debated in Bihar now is how long will the state BJP will play second fiddle to the JD (U), despite having higher number of seats in the assembly?

Another question remains — How long will Kumar keep himself in his present role as the CM?

Only time will tell.

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