Given the recent overtures made by Nitish Kumar to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the turn of events in Bihar came as no great surprise. The resignation and the swearing-in as Chief Minister within a span of 14 hours follow a script to perfection. The plot has left people wondering how Mr. Kumar could be so calculating, opportunistic and petty. That he could not think of dissolving the Assembly and calling fresh elections reflects his desire to stay in power. It is an irony that Mr. Kumar, who left the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government as a mark of protest against Narendra Modi’s ascendancy, has now chosen to put himself at his mercy, blissfully oblivious of the “effect” of Mr. Modi’s rise to power, like lynchings across the country. By realigning with the NDA, Mr. Kumar has lent legitimacy to what is going on in the name of nationalism and shown that his commitment to secularism is a matter of convenience and not conviction. His short-sighted action cannot but be seen as a betrayal of the people’s mandate which was for the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). He could not have done worse for the cause of Opposition unity and the emergence of a secular alternative to the BJP. Mr. Kumar can now do little about being eclipsed by Mr. Modi and the frontiers of his government in Bihar being rolled back. He has extinguished all hope of becoming the Prime Minister. It will be his own doing if he fades into political oblivion without being even a footnote.
G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] leader Nitish Kumar has once again proved that he is a man of inconsistency by joining hands with the BJP to become the Chief Minister of Bihar for a sixth time. His integrity is under doubt now as he has betrayed the people of Bihar by allying with a party he had once strongly criticised for its communal politics. Has he forgotten that his Grand Alliance won most number of seats because of their opposition to the BJP?
The Opposition camp always suspected that he would quit the Grand Alliance once he declared support for Mr. Modi’s moves like demonetisation and endorsed the BJP’s presidential candidature, Ram Nath Kovind. Their suspicions have proven to be correct.
Albert P’Rayan,
Chennai
The resignation of Mr. Kumar to form a new government with support of the BJP is, to say the least, a highly immoral act. The people of Bihar in 2015 had voted an anti-BJP alliance to power. If Mr. Kumar was dissatisfied with the functioning of his alliance partners, he should have gone for a new election in alliance with the BJP . This episode brings out the need for a constitutional amendment to make fresh elections mandatory in the event of such developments.
S. Venkataraman,
Pune
Coalition dharma
There was no love lost between the JD(U) and the RJD on many issues. The Mahagathbandhan was hastily conceived and constituted, aimed at stopping the juggernaut of Modi wave from affecting Bihar. So far so good. However, thereafter, there was no sign of common ground being found between the coalition partners on key issues.
As such, Mr. Kumar’s tsunami torpedoing Lalu Prasad’s apple cart did not create any ripples. Many a time, Mr. Kumar had made it amply and absolutely clear that the very presence of Tejashwi Yadav in the Cabinet was untenable. Rather asking his son to step down in order to save the Mahagathbandhan, Mr. Prasad was found espousing him. Therefore Mr. Kumar was left with no other option but to end the marriage of convenience with the RJD.
L.R. Moorthy,
Mumbai
