Uncritically Nitish
Last Updated : 16 Dec 2011 11:48:25 AM IST
The rise of Nitish Kumar in Indian politics in the last decade has forced analysts to reason that the contours of north Indian politics are fast acquiring a new hue. The days of Mandal and Kamandal are over, as aspirations of Gen-Next keep rising. In the given situation, writing a biography of one of the most powerful chief ministers of our country is definitely an arduous task by all means. The author Arun Sinha, in the beginning of the book, confesses to his closeness to the protagonist, from college days. He belongs to that generation of Bihari scribes who witnessed first hand the social churning and subaltern movement that changed politics in the state in the late-80’s and early 90’s. While describing the political journey of Nitish, he depicts the socio-economic realities of the state, and its reflection on politics, quite vividly. The emergence of Nitish was partly due to his consummate knack of projecting himself as a clear-cut alternative to Laloo, and at the same time, the utter failure of Laloo to communicate his own success, as in agricultural growth in Bihar during 1993-94 and 2004-05. Otherwise an average four per cent, it still was higher than the national average of three per cent.Nitish Kumar smartly cultivated whatever opportunity he got in his early career as an MLA, and subsequently as junior central minister in the Agriculture Ministry and as a cabinet minister in the sought-after Railway Ministry, to communicate his indispensibility. When Nitish pitted himself against Lalu in the race for political leadership of Bihar, voters didn’t need to think twice. The author quotes the current Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who was leader of Opposition in 2003 when he confessed in an interview that the NDA could come to power in the state only under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. Nitish, after all, was more than a Kurmi leader, as he had projected in the massive Kurmi Mahachetana Rally — an assertion of Other Backward Caste challenge to the Yadav leadership of Laloo.The early part of of the book offers a good reading of the political changes and social contours of a fast-changing Bihar. The caste-ridden state, dependant on a semi-feudal economic system, has been repeatedly shaken up by umpteen small movements, followed by a consolidation. The pace dips only when the author tries to narrate the success story of the Nitish-led-government, mostly depending on information provided by government officers. This was also the part of the book where the author’s objectivity was put to test. Unfortunately, the seasoned journalist failed to mention why the media failed to critically assess any of the claims by Nitish, or for that matter by past CMs of Bihar, that they are supposed to do. In spite of a massive mandate and friendly media, what prevents Nitish from taking drastic steps that could revamp the state’s economy and change governance forever? Despite such lacunae, however, this book gives good insights into Bihar’s transformer.
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