The first indication, which added fuel to the fire, was the visit of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar who came to Bihar to attend the birth anniversary celebration of veteran Socialist and former chief minister late Karpoori Thakur. Incidentally, neither Nitish, as CM, received the Vice-President at the airport nor did he accompany Dhankar to the venue of the function where tributes were paid to Thakur who was awarded Bharat Ratna last year.
Notably, Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai accompanied the Vice-President while Nitish remained conspicuous by his absence on January 24.
STORM IN THE TEA-CUP
The second noticeable development was on January 26, when Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan hosted a tea party on the lawns of Raj Bhawan. Nitish, who stays 100 metres away from the Governor’s residence, did not turn up although he had attended the Republic Day parade function at Gandhi Maidan earlier in the day.
[Also, by the same author: From Khakhi to saffron, Kishore Kunal wore many hats – The News Porter]
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) later clarified that the CM was indisposed and, therefore, skipped the Governor’s tea party. The official communique also clarified that due to Nitish’s ill health, the Chief Minister’s ‘Pragiti Yatra’ was also postponed and rescheduled for February 1.
TEJASHWI’S DIG
Nitish’s former deputy and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, was quick to seize the matter. Slamming Nitish for his failure to observe protocol when Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar visited Bihar, Tejashwi said, “Nitish ji failed to receive the Vice-President. He is reportedly mentally unsound. And, therefore, the CM no longer follows the protocol.”
Tejashwi’s dig at Nitish was also due to the backdrop where the CM touched the feet of PM thrice last year. Many a time, he has addressed his officials by saying: “Will you complete the work on time, or should I touch your feet to get it done.”
THE PK CHALLENGE
But then, earlier, Nitish’s health was talked in a hush-hush tone. Now, his opponents are slamming him in no uncertain terms, even terming him “senile”. His one-time aide and now fierce opponent Prashant Kishor, the founder of Jan Suraaj, said he challenged Nitish to even identify his ministers by name.
“I openly challenge Nitish to identify his ministers by name and the portfolios they hold, without seeing any piece of paper. If he can do so, I will stop opposing him once and for all,” said PK, as Prashant is fondly called. Notably, PK had earlier served as the national vice-president of the JD (U) before he got the boot from Nitish.
SON-RISE
Against such a backdrop, a section of JD (U) leaders has started lobbying for the entry of Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant into mainstream politics. This section feels that since Nitish has not prepared a second line of succession in his pocket organisation, Nishant could be handy in case Nitish calls it a day due to his poor health.
“Nishant is an engineering graduate from BIT, Mesra. But he is more into spirituality. On January 8, he issued a statement in Bhakhtiyarpur where he appealed to the people to vote for his father and help him become Chief Minister again if they felt he (Nitish) had done development of Bihar,” pointed out noted political scientist Ajay Kumar.
“This statement is more a personal one by a son for his father rather than a political one. But Nitish’s aides, who see their future uncertain in the absence of Nitish, are playing a wild card by roping in Nishant and claiming that he will join politics after Holi. Nishant is no Tejashwi. Nor is he Chirag. And most importantly, Nitish, who is dead against dynast, will never allow ‘son-rise’ in his backyard,” iterated Ajay Kumar.
Former Bihar Congress president Kaukab Kadri also argues that given the scenario, it seems highly unlikely that the JD (U) would remain united until the Assembly elections.
“There will be bhagdad (mad scramble) among the MLAs. The ruling legislators will run for cover once the JD (U) starts disintegrating. Mark my words. Bihar is heading for a major shake-up in the next few months,” the Congress leader emphasised.
