The impact of Nitish’s alliance switch on Bihar

By Nimesh Bansal

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar beamed as he completed 100 days in office after joining hands with the NDA. While his relations with the centre may have improved, old friends have turned foe.

Bearing the wrath of the opposition

Nitish Kumar’s well-meaning initiatives are now receiving simultaneous support and scorn. The CM recently lent support to calls for job reservation in the private sector. This comes on the back of the private sector’s unprecedented growth. In 2006, public sector jobs were twice in number as that in the private sector, but in 2012, that ratio had shrunk to 1.5, which continues to shrink to this day.

The government’s policies, however, have not kept pace with the changing times. Reservations continue to exist exclusively in the public sector, leading leaders like Nitish Kumar to call for up to 50% job reservation in the private sector. Former Nitish-ally Lalu Prasad Yadav endorsed the CM’s stand, but also called his comments nothing more than a “political stunt”. Lalu added, “Nitish must tell us about private investment in Bihar. He has completely failed in bringing private companies and now talking about reservation in private sector. Not only me, LJP leader Ramvilas Paswan is also in favour of this. It’s our stand for a long time.” Kumar responded by saying, “Lalu ji stood with me in the human chain on January 21 against liquor consumption. Now, he is speaking a different language.”

After Lalu, Tejashwi slams Nitish

Nitish Kumar has received flak for liquor prohibition in Bihar. Alcohol has been banned in the state since April 2016, but the recent Rohtas Hooch Tragedy has set tempers flaring. Four people died in Bihar’s Rohtas district after consuming spurious liquor, making it the second such incident since the liquor ban. The opposition has called this a case of “poor governance”, with opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav alleging that prohibition exists only “on paper”.

In a scathing attack on the CM, Yadav said, “The prohibition is a farce. JD(U) is heavily dependent for its finances on earnings through illicit liquor. As its national president, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar owes an answer to the people of the state as to how many people from his own party has his government acted against for flouting prohibition, which he loves to flaunt as his great achievement.” He also claimed, “The Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in the state will collapse within six months.”

The positive side

While all former friends continue to support Kumar, his switch to the NDA has led to some positive changes in the state. A JDU minister said, “One noticeable change is that all BJP ministers are present in the review meetings called by the chief minister. Therefore the number of review meetings has increased.” This has led to expeditious reviews of all state departments. The relations between the state and the centre are also at their cordial best.

PM Narendra Modi had announced a special package for Bihar during the 2015 Bihar assembly polls. Foundations for the proposed development have finally been laid; four national highway projects worth Rs 3031 crore are now underway. Manufacturing and self-sustenance have also taken centre stage. French mobility equipment manufacturer Alstom’s proposed Rs 20,000-crore electric locomotive manufacturing facility has finally seen progress. The state is also in talks with the centre regarding the supply of cooking gas through pipes in Patna.

BJP’s ulterior motives

The improved relations with the centre, however, have come at a cost for Nitish Kumar. Narendra Modi had already alluded that the BJP is no longer prepared to play second fiddle in Bihar. As a result, BJP ministers are trying hard to be the face of the Bihar government, and are quick to take credit for any positive developments. Nitish Kumar’s deputy CM and a prominent face of the BJP, Sushil Kumar Modi, remains a key cog in all the initiatives and programmes in the state. He is vigilant to take credit in a bid to increase the BJP’s goodwill in Bihar–a state that has always been slow to accept the saffron party.

The past 100 days have seen definite steps in the right direction for governance in Bihar. Even though, old friends are still finding it hard to let go, and continue to belittle someone they once held dear. BJP’s ulterior motives may mean that Nitish Kumar will never get credit for the work he does. But unwavering support from the centre in a state that has always been marred by scams and infighting, lack of credit seems like a small price to pay.

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