Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar came out straight with his logical argument and passed a statement in a media interview thrashing Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi without taking their name saying that “while one does not have the experience of Parliament another has no experience of running a State. I have both the experience. Am I less qualified than them? He claimed of being more qualified and experienced than those “roaming around” for the top job.
He categorically ruled out siding either with the Congress or the BJP after the polls. He also commented on third front saying, new grouping which you call Third Front will be the First Front. The non-Congress and non-BJP parties will have the largest numbers after the polls, referring to the alliance of 11 non-Congress and non-BJP parties for which he has been a prime mover. No doubt, Nitish is respectable and a mass leader. When common people get fed up with our political representatives, here is one gentleman who can really care for people’s aspirations. Few years back, the image of Bihar state in the mind of other Indians was very bad. Nitish tried hard to reform Bihar and bring about its socio-economic development. The state which was once known for citizens migrating from it is pulling them back to grab opportunities within the state. Number of job opportunities are being created in the state through various policies and programmes. And the credit goes to dynamic Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He deserves all praises. His biography can inspire many aspiring politicians who want to work for the development of their respective regions. Nitish Kumar has been in public life from nearly 40 years and his political fortunes are witnessing a northward movement. In the 2010 Assembly election, he led the JD (U)-BJP coalition to a spectacular victory. Nitish Kumar, who has been Chief Minister for over nine years and is serving his second term, enjoys a positive image — an effective administrator, making sincere efforts to put back his State on the development track. There are no major political controversies concerning him. His track record as Chief Minister has so far been free of scandals. The JD (U) leader, known for personal integrity, allowed persons with criminal antecedents contest in the 2010 elections on his party ticket. Needless to say, most of them won.
Nitish Kumar’s political life — the circumstances under which he entered politics are the deep involvement of his father, Ramlakhan Singh, in the Congress and his relationship with Jayaprakash Narayan and ties with Karpoor Thakur and his role in the success of Lalu Prasad’s political career. He was temporarily separated from his mother in his formative years and his wife Manju Kumari, who did not join her Chief Minister-husband Nitish Kumar but had planned to join him only after her retirement from government service as a school teacher, died untimely. Bihar had to wait almost for 30 years to undergo changes. Though the towering Socialist leader and political thinker, Ram Manohar Lohia, suddenly died in 1967, his political approach has become a permanent feature in Indian politics. His strategies of anti-Congressism, forming coalitions suitably and the promotion of Backward Classes in politics, over a period of time, gathered strength. Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar are not the direct disciples of Lohia. But, they have all reaped benefits of the political seeds sown by Lohia.
What you may not know about him is that Nitish Kumar had drawn up a scheme of his own even then. The purpose of the scheme was to see to it that upper castes were not left out of the quota system. According to it, the creamy layer among the backward classes should not be given reservation. The poor among upper castes should be covered under the quota scheme. The Nitish scheme did not receive popular support then. The book does not throw much light about the present position of Nitish Kumar on the subject of reforms in reservation. There may be several weaknesses in Nitish Kumar. But, here is a political leader who has a steadfast faith in democracy. His frequent direct interactions with people including regular state-wide Yatras represent his democratic temper. He is really one of the deserving prime ministerial candidates India can look forward to. Nitish Kumar has been the Chief Minister of Bihar since 2005. In the seventies, in his youth, he was an activist of the Janata Party movement initiated by Jayprakash Narain and was detained in 1974 under the MISA and also during the emergency in 1975. He has also served as a Union Minister in the VP Singh ministry in 1991 and later as part of the National Democratic Alliance in 2001, before becoming the Chief Minister of Bihar. He was chosen as the Best Chief Minister in India according to the CNN IBN and HT State of the Nation Poll in 2007. Economic times awarded him the title of the ‘Business reformer of the year ‘in 2009 and Forbes India awarded him the’ India person of the year’ title in 2010. We need such visionary in the ruling party of India.
