From: Acnaik@aol.com
To: indiathisweek@gmail.com
CC: Acnaik@aol.com
Sent: 11/29/2010 9:47:51 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: Nitish Kumar ReturbsNITISH KUMAR RETURNS
Anadi Naik
Mr. Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar has shown a rare trick. For the second time around, he and his alliance have returned to power with a strong majority. Every political observer, even those from the Congress Party agree that it is the good governance of the present government that has earned Nitish Kumar and his alliance the second chance. Before he became the chief minister, Bihar was a mess. Crime, corruption and cronyism spread everywhere. The entire State had become the personal domain of the likes of Laloo Prasad Jadav. Through his wife Ravri Devi and cronies Lalooji ruled the State. It did not matter whether he remained in jail or as a minister in the Union Cabinet. And the people of the State paid the price through a stagnant economy and social rut.
Nitish Kumar's administration brought fresh air into the lives of the people of Bihar. Although honest work for honest pay is still far away from public life, the idea seems to be catching on. This in itself is a big change. Bihar is one of the provinces in India that holds on to all the social ills that afflict the country. Constant conflict between castes is one of them. In the 1970s Jayaprakash Narayan started his "total revolution" from Bihar and the idea was to build a new country. It so happened that student leaders like Laloo Jadav, Bhola Pashwan and Nitish Kumar were foot soldiers of that movement. In a personal way each of them also had to make sacrifices; but such a thing today seems to have happened eons ago.
In Bihar, a comparison between Laloo Prasad Jadav and Nitish Kumar seems inevitable. Both come from modest backgrounds; both are college educated and both are rooted in the Other Backward Caste known as OBC. Each of them has been a minister at the Center. Jadav has already been tested. Citizens of Bihar have formulated their opinions about him as Chief Minister and a political superman. However, Nitish Kumar after five years, still seems to be a novelty. His unpretentious, folksy way has attracted many supporters. He has unleashed a way of administration that not only
performs the task but genuinely looks after the interests of the people and the citizens like it. He has brought honesty back into the business of the State.
India, as a whole, is going through spectacular changes. Because of the explosion in information technology, information is spreading rapidly. Cell phone cameras are performing miracles in recording and explaining misdeeds of the officialdom. Bihar is no exception. Public awareness has increased the need for official honesty. People seem to be hungry for it. As voters, they have no problem in rewarding someone for his/her honesty. The Congress Party under the Manmohan Singh Government did some good work and the people voted him in for the second time. In the same way they have voted Nitish Kumar in Bihar because he did some good work there. Right now, a youthful work force is hard at work in India. It is willing to look the other way at certain transgressions for concrete results. Whether it is building a road in the village or establishing an IT complex, the locals want their tax money to be used properly. If someone wants to hoodwink them without result, they seem to be more than willing to throw the suckers out. In a democracy, ordinary citizens are sovereign and in India they are willing to use their sovereign power. They have blessed Nitish Kumar in Bihar while pushing both Pashwan and Jadav into the margin.
Nitish Kumar's return to power also has helped BJP. Having been booted out from the Center seven years ago it is in search of allies all over the country including next door Uttar Pradesh. However, Mayawati has remained an unpredictable ally. Beyond the Hindi belt, for ten years BJP coalesced with Naveen Pattnaik's Biju Janata Dal in Orissa but it faltered in the last election. In Karnataka its coalition with B.S.Yeddyurappa does not seem to be quite solid. Yet,to its credit, BJP does have partners in other States and therefore, as a national Party, it will be able to challenge the Congress Party. No doubt, Bihar would help boost its image.
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