Lok Sabha polls: Nitish’s conscience getting ready for yet another prick?

Political somersault comes easy to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and by available indications, observers of the Bihar scene would not be surprised if Nitish’s conscience, famous for its selective pricks and calculated dormancy once again gets stirred. The conscience, if it finally decides to prick is unlikely to do so before 23 May 2019. But, by available indications it is slowly inching towards the ‘prick mode’.

More than anything else, Nitish’s somewhat loud silence to more than a dozen calls for ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Matram’ slogans at PM Modi’s election rally in Darbhanga gives enough indication that the Bihar CM was weighing other post poll political options.

As PM Modi raised the ‘Vande Matram’ pitch at the Darbhanga election meet by several decibels, and all others including LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan joined the chorus loud, both through vocal chord and limbs, CM Nitish Kumar maintained an apparently uncomfortable poise.

On his part, PM Modi made an instant pay back, as he walked past his ally and immediate neighbour on the dias with a straight face and indifferent posture, a posture earlier reserved for BJP patriarch LK Advani.

Poor Ram Vilas is wrongly called the ‘Mausam Vaigyanik’ (Political metrologist), says Danish Rizwan, spokesperson of the Jitan Ram Manjhi led HAM(S). Nitish is the real Mausam Vaigyanik, said Rizwan. The Bihar CM, a wily politician has read the wall writings and was accordingly positioning himself.

Lalu Prasad’s biography authored by journalist Nalin Verma says that soon after his second union with BJP, Nitish started feeling uncomfortable and wanted to rejoin the Grand alliance. But the Lalu family, particularly Rabri and Tejashwi put their foot down. Prashant Kishor, the political middleman brokering peace between Lalu and Nitish made feeble denials, thereby further strengthening the claim made in the book.

Interestingly, JD(U) is not being apologetic about its party leader’s perceived snub for the hyper nationalist posturing of its alliance partner. Patriotism and nationalism is not something to be worn on the sleeve says JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad.

We have to celebrate India’s beautiful diversity and refrain from doing anything that dilutes the commitment to its plurality. There was nothing wrong with Vande Matram per se. But its demonstrative use can not help things much. And then JD(U) was a separate political entity and not a BJP affiliate, the JD(U) spokesperson Prasad maintained.

Though Nitish Kumar featured regularly in the half a dozen election rallies of PM Modi in Bihar, he has been consciously avoiding to join the chorus on Balakot and macho nationalism and instead singing the development tune. During Gaya rally on April 3, PM Modi too made just passing references to his pet electoral themes and dwelt more on his claimed achievements. But the initial inhibitions gave way to aggression in subsequent rallies.

That everything was not fine with BJP-JD(U) second marriage is the worst kept political secret of Bihar politics. So much so that with four phases gone, JD(U) has yet to release its election manifesto, apparently on account of the pressure put by the alliance partner to calibrate its stand on contentious issues like Ayodhya, article 370 and common civil code.

And then who said Dost hota nahin har hath milanewala (handshakes are no proof of friendship). When it comes to revenge, both Modi and Nitish tend to be ruthless and their past acrimony will continue to haunt the marriage of convenience in the days ahead.