Patna,(BiharTimes): Nitish Kumar has once again don the mantle of Bihar, where he got a thumping majority in the last Assembly election but quit after embarrassing defeat in the Lok Sabha election of May 2014.
Though he would be taking oath for the fourth time the challenge ahead is very formidable as election is only eight months from now. The revolt by several Janata Dal (United) leaders in general and by his own protégé, Jitan Ram Manjhi, in particular, has shaken him badly.
Though Manjhi could get the support of only a dozen MLAs and several others sympathized with him Nitish will have to be very much watchful. Manjhi has no doubt emerged as a Dalit leader of a sort in the state.Nitish, who takes the credit of coining the word Mahadalit and started a mission for their development to expand his own social base is now under threat from Manjhi who asserted as a vocal Dalit leader and took many decisions in favour of them. He posted Dalit officers on many key positions. The recent awakening of their identity as a potent force in the state politics is a new phenomenon. The political message he tried to send may be tested in the coming election. Whether this unceremonious sacking of the first Mushar chief minister will cost Nitish their 16 per cent votes? Another tall Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan is already in saffron camp.
The recent awakening of their identity as a potent force in the state politics may make the political plank of “social justice” adopted by JD(U) questionable. The saffron party would certainly play up “insult of Dalit”card to expand its social base.With shrinking social base and votes it would be a formidable task for Nitish to win back the confidence of this section after the Manjhi episode. The BJP, by extending its support to Manjhi, may show that it has stood by a Dalit martyr.
Manjhi too has been left with no other option, but to join the saffron party before the election.Nitish, may face the heat of anti incumbency and people have started comparing his first term with the second one which was wasted in his political adventurism.
Now in a very limited period he has to perform a lot to win back people’s confidence once gain.Another challenge before him is to re-establish his USP of good governance which got diluted after his recent alliance with his arch political rival Lalu Prasad whose period he often used to call “Jungle Raj”. It is other thing that he later clarified that he used to say “Aatank Raj”. The push and pull of Lalu in coming to his side would be a real test for him. It would be for the first time that he would partner ‘bade bhai’ (Lalu) instead of ‘bada parivar’ of Sangh.
Lalu is still a leader with a mass base and knows well to keep a tab on power. He would be insider this time. His support was crucial in unseating Manjhi so he would extract his pound of flesh this time.Speculations are rife that some key position may be offered to some of his family members.Grapevine has it that his daughter Misa Bharti may be offered the post of deputy chief minister in future.
Taking a pot shot at Nitish Kumar senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said “Nitish has cheated the people of the state as he got the mandate against the misrule of Lalu with whom he has now joined hands to run the government.”Even on governance front it would be a difficult task for new chief minister to shunt out all those Dalit officers posted on key positions. Interestingly some of them are considered close to Lalu Prasad. In his last 16 days Manjhi took as much as 105 cabinet decisions, most of them are populist in nature like free electricity to farmers, enhanced wages to different contractual and regular employees etc. It may cost thousands of crores when state government is facing financial crunch due to short fall in central funds and low revenue collections. It would be very difficult particularly in election year to review or reverse these decisions. At the same time Nitish would not have much to offer to voters before the election as Manjhi already took the credit of most of the largesse.
On the governance level it would be very difficult to make a mark in eight months barring law and order front, feels a former senior IAS officer.The flip side is the new confidence in the confederation of RJD,JD(U) and other like-minded parties with Nitish at the helm of power and a seasoned leader who could face the attack of BJP leaders having high hopes in Bihar.The gigantic task before Susashan babu (Man of good governance) is to present a new viable political order before the election. Manjhi has done enough political damage to him in the election year.
