Why can no one stop Nitish Kumar? What makes him invincible force?
Once mocked as ‘Paltu Ram’, Nitish Kumar has emerged as an unstoppable force in Bihar, outperforming JD(U), BJP and RJD. An in-depth look at how he rebuilt his political capital and rewrote Bihar’s power equations.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has emerged as invincible in state politics. (File Image)
Bihar Chief Nitish Kumar, who was derided as “Paltu Ram” by former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and RJD chief Tejaswi Yadav, has become an indispensable political force in the state. At the time of writing, his JD(U) is leading with 80 seats, much more than expected. No one could have imagined that the party, which won only 43 seats in the 2020 Bihar Elections, could win this many seats. Even his coalition partner, the BJP, was reluctant to announce himself as the face of the prime minister, keeping the public guessing on the matter until the last few days. He is set to become the Chief Minister of Bihar for a record tenth time.
What makes Nitish Kumar invincible in Bihar politics?
What makes Nitish Kumar so powerful in Bihar that neither his friends nor his enemies can ignore him? What makes him indispensable and someone no one can beat? Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is campaigning for Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary in Tarapur, last week stated that if Narendra Modi wins the assembly elections, he will make him “bada aadami” and make him the chief minister of the state. The BJP did not want to make Nitish Kumar the chief minister next time.
All equations went wrong, all dreams were shattered and all plans were foiled. No one can stop Nitish Kumar now; neither friends like Modi and Shah nor enemies like Lalu and Tejaswi. Not only this, Nitish Kumar, who has around 80 seats, cannot be bullied this time, unlike 2020 when the saffron party fielded two deputy chief ministers (Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha). Nitish ate the humble pie and accepted the orders of the saffron party; because it had only 43 seats while the BJP had 74 seats.
‘Sushasan Babu’ wins Bihar
Analysts believe there are three main reasons for this. The long-standing political capital that Nitish Kumar has gained by serving as chief minister since November 2005 has catapulted him to dizzying heights. The way he controlled law and order, developed infrastructure and provided electricity around the clock to even the remotest corners of the state strengthened his position. People are so in love with him that they don’t even question his inability to create more business.
Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana has proven to be a game changer. She gave Rs 10,000 to every woman in Bihar to start a new venture that could make her money. Although Tejaswi tried to counter this with his Maa Bahin Maan Yojana, people did not trust the chief minister who transferred the money before the polls.
Caste equation or social engineering?
The caste equation or the social engineering woven by the NDA has also changed the political dynamics. With Upendra Kushwaha’s RLM being brought under NDA, the equation that started with Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas) and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM was completed. Although these parties brought minor changes, they filled the void and made the NDA an unstoppable juggernaut.
Nitish Kumar is a changed man now. He can no longer intimidate the BJP; JD(U) may have more seats than the saffron party, the masses have left their mark on its governance model and it has surpassed Lalu Yadav in winning OBC and EBC. He is now an invincible Bihari.
