Sachchidanand Jha
Patna : JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar has won his war of attrition against RJD chief Lalu Prasad by returning to the NDA fold to form government on July 26, 2017, after resigning as Grand Alliance (GA) chief minister the same day, and comfortably winning the trust vote on July 27, but the Tejaswi Yadav episode has dainted his ` man of principle’ image. Nitish would have to answer the people why he formed an alliance with the RJD before the 2015 assembly polls knowing well that Lalu was convicted in a fodder scam case in 2013 and lost his Lok Sabha seat besides being disqualified from contesting polls for a certain period. Nitish was also aware of the fact that Lalu believes in promoting his family members in politics and made his wife the chief minister in July 1997. That apart, law and order had collapsed in the RJD regime in Bihar.
Nitish was very close to Lalu but parted ways with him in 1994 by floating Samata Party and formed alliance with the BJP in 1996 LS polls. The Samata Party later merged with JD(U) but remained in NDA fold till June 2013. Nitish led NDA fight against the RJD and first became chief minister for seven days in 2000 and thereafter in 2005 and 2010. He snapped tie with the NDA in June 2013 over the projection of Narendra Modi as BJP’s prime ministerial candidate after which the JD(U) suffered a crushing defeat in 2014 LS polls and Narendra Modi became the prime minister. Where has Nitish’s antipathy for Modi gone now? Has he realised that he can’t become the prime minister being leader of a smaller party like the JD(U)?
Nitish would also have to tell people why he did not seek resignation of his deputy Tejaswi Yadav after the CBI made him in an accused in land for hotel scam on July 5, 2017, and quizzed him and his mother and former CM Rabri Devi on July 7 besides searching their residence. He could have also sacked Tejaswi after he refused to resign. He would have definitely gained in stature by sacking Tejaswi. Tejaswi was also aware of the fact Lalu and family members were on CBI, IT and ED radar.
Nitish, however, made a very valid point why replying to debate on trust motion moved by him in Bihar assembly on July 27 by saying that secularism can’t be used as a cover for corruption by a family to accumulate wealth. He was obviously referring to Lalu’s family members allegedly facing charges of acquiring benaami property.
In fact, it is the BJP which has won the battle in the fight for political supremacy between Nitish and Lalu. Nitish is indeed a very efficient administrator but not a master politician. He failed to counter Lalu over Tejaswi issue. BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, on the other hand, exposed the alleged benaami dealings of Lalu’s kin.