Bihar Politics | Why is Nitish Kumar so angry?

Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar

In Bihar, a question which is nowadays doing the rounds is, “Nitish Kumar ko gussa kyun aata hai” (These days why is Nitish Kumar so angry?) Nitish Kumar, who has lost his cool on several occasions after taking oath as Bihar Chief Minister in November, on March 14 appealed to the media to go easy on him.

“I sometimes say some things. It doesn't mean that I'm angry with anyone. I don't get angry. Do not think that I'm angry because I'm speaking loudly. I request you to go easy on me. I'm not serving my personal interest,” Kumar told the media.

While the Janata Dal (United) leader should be happy at being sworn in as Chief Minister for a fourth term despite winning lesser number of seats than the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he seems to be in a bad mood lately.

In November, Kumar lost his cool in the assembly after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav brought up criminal cases against him, including a three-decade-old murder case. Kumar screaming at the top of his voice accused Yadav of lying, and said that he is tolerating the Leader of Opposition because he is the son of a friend (Lalu Yadav).

In January, when answering questions on the death of an Indigo airline executive, Kumar’s outburst was against the media. He accused journalists of demoralising the police and asked them to compare his tenure with crime rates during the RJD’s rule in Bihar.

On March 8, Kumar engaged in a war of words with an RJD MLC, accusing him of not following rules while asking supplementary questions in the house.

So what’s gone wrong with otherwise cool, calm, and composed Nitish Kumar? Perhaps this has roots in the November electoral results of Bihar.

The JD(U)’s tally declined significantly from 71 seats in 2015 to 43 seats in 2020 — a roughly 40 percent fall. This was primarily on account of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan putting up candidates against the JD(U) and damaging its prospects in 28 seats.

Paswan ostensibly had the backing of the BJP top brass, and it was part of a larger game plan to cut Kumar to size. Thus, he is essentially angry with the BJP for short charging him with the LJP, but can’t direct his anger towards the BJP for fear of losing his chair.

The BJP now has more ministers (16) than the JD(U) (13). It has appointed two Deputy Chief Ministers and sent the experienced Shah Nawaz Hussain to Bihar to oversee the transition of the BJP becoming the senior partner in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar.

The duo do not share a great rapport with Hussain accusing Kumar of having a role in denying him a Lok Sabha ticket in 2019. It seems that the BJP with 74 MLAs is not letting Kumar call the shots.

The law and order situation in Bihar is deteriorating and chinks in the Sushashan Babu’s closet are becoming visible. Kumar has always highlighted the ‘jungle raj’ during the Lalu-Rabri tenure and prided on his good governance. However, the number of cognisable offenses in Bihar has increased from 22,189 in October to 24,413 in December.

Amidst the rising crime graph, Kumar has reviewed the situation with the top cops and directed them to control crime at any cost. He has directed that no laxity in the matter of crime control and maintenance of law and order shall be tolerated.

Though the BJP has kept its promise and made Kumar Chief Minister, he has lost the moral authority to rule. Not even six months have passed in this tenure and there are doubts about whether pressure would be put on him to step down before the term is over.

Seventy-year-old Kumar might be worried about his legacy. He has been a champion of development and progress in an otherwise backward state. His popularity among women voters is high and is also credited for stopping the Modi juggernaut in 2015.

That said, it is ironic that in the 2020 elections, Kumar and his JD(U) sailed through primarily on account of the Modi factor — no doubt that would have caused some heartburn. From a leader whose name at one point was being floated as the joint prime ministerial candidate for the anti-BJP, anti-Congress parties to being propped up as the Chief Minister by an ally he once opposed — Kumar has not been able to adjust to the new power dynamics.

Adding to all these is another question: Will Nitish Kumar be remembered for good governance or for being an opportunist who always managed to be in power?