By: Sami Ahmad
This story dates back 26 years, when Nitish Kumar took the oath as Chief Minister for the first time but had to resign within a week. At that time, Nitish Kumar had declared that he would leave central politics and remain “anchored” (khunta gadkar) in Bihar. Five years later, he became the regular Chief Minister. For the next eight years, his anchor remained firm, but since 2013, he had to employ various maneuvers to save his position. Today, March 5, that anchor has finally been uprooted.
The great survivor of Bihar politics has exited quite unceremoniously, paving the way for a BJP chief minister, a state where the right-wing Hindutva party was made to wait for two and a half decades.
The compulsion behind this announcement can be understood by the fact that if he had truly made this decision freely, why was it announced on the very last day? It seems that even the exit plan was orchestrated by the BJP, as Nitish always wanted to serve Bihar.
In Nitish Kumar’s own words: “Since the beginning of my parliamentary life, I had a desire to be a member of both houses of the Bihar Legislature as well as both houses of Parliament. In this sequence, I wish to become a member of the Rajya Sabha in the current elections.”
In fact, rumors had been circulating since March 1st that the BJP leadership, particulaly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, had made up their minds to have a BJP leader as the Chief Minister of Bihar. They intended to either persuade Nitish Kumar to settle in Delhi or pressure him into it. These rumors proved true today.
While it was speculated even before and after the Bihar Assembly election results that the BJP would eventually remove Nitish Kumar and give the post to one of their own leaders, few expected the discussion and implementation to happen so quickly.
Alongside this, it has now also emerged that Nitish Kumar’s son, Nishant Kumar, might be given an important role in Bihar, such as being made Deputy CM. The biggest question, which BJP leader will now become the Chief Minister of Bihar, will likely be answered in a day or two.
As discussions regarding Nitish Kumar moving to Delhi intensified, there was also heavy speculation about his son Nishant Kumar entering active politics. It was even said that if Nitish Kumar did not agree, Nishant Kumar would be sent to the Rajya Sabha on behalf of the JD(U). Following Nitish Kumar’s own announcement, that possibility has vanished.
The faction within the JD(U) that dislikes the BJP had long wanted Nishant Kumar to enter politics. Their logic was that if Nitish Kumar’s seat became vacant, it would be better to have Nishant there rather than a BJP leader.
Nishant Kumar is generally considered to be spiritually inclined. He has often been heard saying, after performing religious rituals, that his father is doing well and people should vote for him. Although there was buzz during the Assembly elections that he might be the JD(U) candidate from Harnaut, it didn’t happen. A major reason cited was that Nitish Kumar did not want to face allegations of dynastic politics (parivarvaad). Conversely, JD(U) leaders, favoring Nishant, argued that he is young and could manage the party.
Interestingly, it is also being said that leaders opposed to prohibition (the liquor ban) and the liquor lobby are behind Nitish Kumar’s removal. Additionally, there are talks that the upper-caste sections opposed to UGC campus guidelines were also pressuring the BJP to remove him from the CM post.
What’s interesting about these rumors is that while one faction of the JD(U) was not ready for this at all, there was no formal denial from their side. Since Nitish Kumar’s health is not considered optimal, no one expected a direct statement from him. In this context, senior JD(U) leader and Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary stated on March 4th that talks were ongoing, but the final decision rested with Nitish Kumar.
Political analysts were debating whether Nitish Kumar’s decision would truly be final, or if he would be forced to accept the decision made by the duo of PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Ultimately, it appears the Modi-Shah duo succeeded in getting their way.
The core of the discussion was whether Nitish Kumar was in a position, or given enough leeway, to decide for himself. It is well known that although Nitish is the National President of JD(U), he remains under the influence of certain leaders seen as leaning toward the BJP. Topping this list is National Executive President Sanjay Jha, who was formerly with the BJP. Others mentioned include Minister and former JD(U) President Lalan Singh, and Minister Ashok Chaudhary, who joined Nitish after leaving Congress in 2015. Vijay Kumar Chaudhary is also considered to share this ideology.
On the other hand, Manish Kumar Verma, Minister Shravan Kumar, and other leaders who don’t speak openly were reportedly not ready for Nitish Kumar to leave the CM post for the Rajya Sabha. Even this faction believed that while he might not go “now,” he would eventually have to vacate the throne.
The internal turmoil within JD(U) is evident from the fact that while the BJP announced its candidates two or three days ago, the JD(U) list only appeared on the day of nomination, March 5th. JD(U) leaders kept saying that their undisputed leader Nitish Kumar had to decide, but this only proved that making this choice was perhaps the most difficult task of his political career. Meanwhile, common JD(U) workers, viewing this as a BJP conspiracy, even held protests.
Since Nitish Kumar first parted ways with the BJP in 2013, he managed to keep the BJP on its toes. When he was with the BJP, he stayed on the condition of being CM; when he left them, he remained CM. That era has now come to an end.
By Sami Ahmed
