NEW DELHI: Is Nitish Kumar losing his cool way too often these days? On Friday, the Bihar chief minister lost his temper inside the state legislative council and surprised many with his choice of words to refer to former chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi.
“Jab iske husband doob gaye to apni wife ko bana diya (When her husband began to sink, he installed his wife (in the CM’s post))”, Nitish said referring to Lalu Prasad’s move to make Rabri Devi the chief minister after he was forced to resign from the post following an arrest warrant in a fodder scam case.
It all started after RJD MLC Urmila Thakur, citing the example of her Begusarai district said “in many villages, girls are deprived of education as reaching the nearest school requires them to walk four to five kilometers”.
This irked Nitish Kumar, who lashed out at the opposition and said: “Do you people even know what we have done for girls’ education? Village girls hardly went to schools in Bihar until we came to power.”
When Urmila Thakur objected, Nitish stepped up his attack.
“The education system had collapsed during the RJD government. It was I who revived it,” the CM said. “What did the RJD government do for women? Where did women study earlier? They barely had access to primary education,” he added.
Then the Bihar chief minister went on to launch a frontal attack on Rabri Devi and mocked at the way she was made the chief minister by her husband Lalu Prasad.
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Leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav strongly objected to the language used by Nitish Kumar for his parents and once again raised questions over Bihar chief minister’s health. “I pity the condition of chief minister and I don’t want to comment any more on this aspect. His falling health has proved that he is not fit to run Bihar anymore,” Tejashwi said.
“There should be some decency in language when you are holding the post of chief minister. Rabri Devi became the chief minister before him and that too of undivided Bihar and he is referring to her as “re” and “tu”,” he added.
“Nitish Kumar should know that Rabri Deviji was the first woman chief minister of the state. She is elder to Nitish both in age and also in relationship,” the RJD leader said.
And while targeting Nitish over his health suits Tejashwi’s politics, senior political analyst N K Choudhary has a different take on the changed behaviour of Bihar chief minister.
“Nitish Kumar is perhaps reacting to the challenges he faces to his undisputed leadership for the first time. Nitish enjoyed unbridled power for over 15 years but realises that political dynamics in the state has changed,” says Choudhary, who is also a former professor of Patna University.
Also read: ‘I made your father’: Bihar CM Nitish to Tejashwi Yadav amid big showdown in assembly
“No one could question Nitish Kumar and there was no challenge to his authority all these years. This perhaps led to some arrogance. Also, the social system that gave him power increased his ego over the years. So, now when questions are raised over his governance or his development claims are criticised, Nitish reacts very strongly,” says N K Choudhary.
“Even Lalu Prasad, during his prime enjoyed a lot of power and would often say “I am the king,” he adds.
Whatever be the reason, those who have followed Nitish Kumar and seen his politics over the years, do feel that there is a perceptible change in his behaviour. In fact, one of the biggest factors that differentiated Nitish from his arch rival Lalu Prasad, who is also a mass leader, was the grace with which the JD(U) chief handled his critics and the opposition.
With elections scheduled later this year in Bihar, Tejashwi has stepped up his attack on Nitish. However, the strong reactions from Bihar chief minister seem to suggest that he is not ready to take such political attacks lying low. May be Nitish feels offence is the best defence. More so, as his dominance in Bihar politics is perhaps on the decline. However, what Nitish needs to realise that his frequent outbursts will give the opposition an opportunity to raise more questions on his health – a narrative that not just suits RJD’s Tejashwi, but also the BJP. The saffron party, which is now the senior partner in the Bihar alliance, would be keen to lead the alliance once the Nitish era comes to an end.
(With inputs from agencies)
