Walking out of the NDA in 2013 over “secularism”, dumping the RJD in 2017 over “corruption”, again turning his back on the BJP in 2022 over “sabotage”, and now seemingly on the verge of once more cutting ties with the RJD and Congress over his “insult” – Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar always seems to find a convenient reason for a political somersault. He would have done four of them in the last 10 years if he now walks back to the BJP.
One thing has remained constant in all this – Nitish on the CM’s chair. He has been on the seat since 2005 when he first joined hands with the BJP. But in 2013, with Narendra Modi becoming the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, Kumar cited his discomfort over the front of secularism. “Tilak bhi lagana padega, topi bhi pehnani padegi,” Kumar famously said to showcase his “secular” credentials and pulled out of the NDA. His party crashed to a low of just two seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and Kumar resigned, taking moral responsibility, anointing Jitin Ram Manjhi as the chief minister.
2015 mahagathbandhan googly and 2017 collapse
Ahead of the 2015 assembly elections in the state, Kumar did the unthinkable. He returned as the CM and joined hands with his arch-rival, Lalu Prasad Yadav, to form the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), shocking the BJP. The new alliance swept the assembly elections and though the RJD won more seats, it settled for the deputy CM post for Tejashwi Yadav and Nitish continued as the chief minister. But in 2017, as central agencies started cracking down on Tejashwi Yadav in corruption cases, Kumar opened an unlikely line to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and stitched an alliance back with the BJP. This was the same Modi whom Kumar had painted as “communal” in 2014. While Lalu was on an overnight journey by road from Patna to Ranchi for a court appearance in a fodder scam case, Kumar did a political coup with the BJP and dumped the RJD.
Kumar continued as the CM and BJP’s Sushil Modi became his deputy, like before 2013. The BJP and JD(U) fought the 2019 Lok Sabha polls together, along with the LJP, and swept the state. The RJD got no seat. The BJP and JD(U) contested the 2020 assembly elections together too, and as per alliance dharma, the BJP made Kumar the CM as announced before the elections though the saffron outfit had emerged as the single-largest party.
2022 switch that left BJP stumped
In 2022, it was the BJP’s time to get shocked. Citing attempts by the saffron party to break the JD(U), regarding which Kumar never offered any evidence, the CM pulled the rug out from under the alliance with the BJP and re-joined hands with the RJD. Kumar had cited his “no-corruption” plank in July 2017 to pull out of an alliance with the Lalu Prasad-led RJD but was now re-allying with it when the corruption taint against the RJD had only deepened. Lalu Prasad by then stood convicted in five fodder scam cases, with four convictions coming since July 2017. There has been little progress in the cases lodged against Tejashwi Yadav though.
Kumar’s party till then had stayed non-committal on an alliance with the BJP in Bihar in 2024 and also opted not to have participation in the union cabinet from its ranks. What had further strained ties with the BJP was Kumar’s unhappiness with the Speaker choice in the state assembly, the Centre not agreeing to a caste census, and the BJP’s growing footprint in Bihar. So Tejashwi Yadav became the deputy CM again with Nitish remaining the chief minister. This time, however, Kumar openly said that Yadav would succeed him as the CM in due course in 2025.
Nitish unhappy again
But just 17 months into this government, Nitish Kumar is again unhappy with his current allies, the RJD and Congress. He is now feeling “insulted” by the Congress over not naming him the convener of the INDIA bloc. Kumar is also in no mood anymore to hand over the CM chair to Tejashwi Yadav as his own national role in INDIA is uncertain.
A new reason has been found by Nitish to desert a partner. It is now a case of “twice-bitten, never shy” for his allies.
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