NITISH RESIGNATION A BOLD STATEMENT

Nitish Kumar’s decision to resign as chief minister of Bihar has put Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad Yadav in a tight spot. For, he will be seen by people as a villain for the fall of the government as he put up stiff opposition to the resignation demand of his corruption-tainted son Tejashwi Yadav. In one masterstroke, Nitish has shown to the people of Bihar and the country that he could sacrifice his government than let anybody cast aspersions on his image. There is no doubt that his political stock has gone up several notches.  In fact, Nitish was not very comfortable to share political space with his one time friend-turned-foe-turned-friend Lalu who has several corruption cases stacked against him. But he was forced to be part of the “mahagathbandhan” or grand alliance to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from coming to power in Bihar. The thick-skinned Lalu’s insistence not to drop his son from the government forced the hands of Nitish who did not want to be seen as compromising with corruption.

What happens next? 

Will the alliance partners elect a new leader minus Nitish and Tejashwi as proposed by Lalu to save the government? It looks unlikely as Nitish decision to resign to set high moral grounds would then appear to be a political stunt. Moreover, Nitish would have consulted his Janata Dal United party before taking this far-reaching decision. Therefore, Lalu’s proposal falls flat. The arithmetic is such that RJD, which emerged as the single largest party in the 2015 elections, can’t form the government even if it secures the support of the Congress.

There are two possibilities. The BJP, which has already announced that it is against mid-term polls, may agree to prop up the Nitish government by offering outside support. But it remains to be seen whether Nitish would be agreeable to the offer from his former ally whom he divorced in 2013. Of late, Nitish has been seen cosying up to the BJP by throwing his weight behind the NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind causing consternation among the anti-NDA partners. It should not be difficult for Nitish to revisit his decision and break the bread with the BJP again as there are not permanent enemies in politics. Moreover, Narendra Modi has emerged as a no-nonsense prime minister who is seen as pushing aggressively for economic reforms without inviting any stain of corruption against any of his cabinet colleagues. The BJP would also like to see Nitish at the helm without Lalu. It will be like killing two birds with one stone. Not only will Lalu lose his face and the next elections, it will also spell doom for the Congress party which is clutching on to these regional parties to stay relevant. But a lot will depend on Nitish if he has to accept the BJP offer. For, the 2015 Bihar verdict was clearly against the BJP-led NDA.

The next possibility could be a rebellion in Lalu’s party. Some of the RJD MLAs, who are not comfortable with the stranglehold of Lalu and his family on the party, may rebel and join hands with Nitish. This makes sense as they also know it well that the Lalu and his family is fighting a lost battle. With the CBI filing a case against Lalu, his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi, their son Tejashwi and others against irregularities in awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006, it will be difficult for the RJD to approach the next elections with conviction. This is one of several corruption cases filed against Lalu and his family. And if the snap elections are to be held now, the RJD is bound to suffer an ignominious defeat. This will certainly weigh heavily on them if they decide to continue with the party. Moreover, some of them would not like to lose the perks as the next elections are due only in 2020. So, why would they spoil their political career by siding with Lalu and seen as a party to corruption? By now, they must have known the pulse of the voters who defeated the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in the 2014 general election. That vote was against the corruption.

India gets its new President

The election of Mr. Ram Nath Kovind as the 14^th President of the country was a foregone conclusion given the brute majority the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies command in Lok Sabha and the states ruled by them. His victory against the Congress party-led opposition candidate Meira Kumar was emphatic as he secured 65.65 percent votes of the electoral college with a total vote value of 702,044. Kumar ended up getting 367,314 votes representing 34.35 percent of the total votes polled.  The electoral college consisted of 4,896 voters --- 776 elected members of parliament and 4,120 members of legislative assemblies.

This is for the first time that a leader associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS will occupy the highest office since independence.  Mr. Kovind also becomes the second President representing the low-caste Dalit community. Mr. K. R. Narayanan was the first Dalit to be President of India. He will replace Dr. Pranab Mukherjee who demits office on July 24 after completing his five-year term. Mr. Kovind will be sworn in the next day.

The 71-year-old Mr. Kovind comes from a very humble origin from Kanpur as his father was a farmer.  After completing his graduation in law, Mr. Kovind moved to Delhi to prepare for the civil services exams. He cleared the exam in his third attempt but did not join as he was selected for the allied services.  Thereafter, he began practising as a lawyer in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court before he joined politics.  He also served as a Central Government standing counsel in the Supreme Court from 1980 to 1993. He also has the reputation of representing India in the United Nations, and even addressed United Nations General Assembly in October 2002.

In 1991, he joined the BJP. Seven years later, he was made president of the BJP Dalit Morcha. He was also president of the All-India Koli Samaj. His political career did not start on a happy note as he made an unsuccessful bid to parliament from Ghatamur in Uttar Pradesh in 1990 on a BJP ticket. In 2007 UP assembly polls, the BJP fielded him from Bhognipur constituency, but he finished third. However, his two consecutive stints as a Rajya Sabha member from 1994 till 2006 give him an added legislative experience which will come in handy while discharging his duties as the President of the country.  He also served on several parliamentary committees as a member of parliament. He was also governor of Bihar before he was picked by the BJP to contest the presidential election.

Though the President’s role is largely ceremonial in India, but as the custodian of the constitution the President has to play a crucial role in times of uncertainty. However, in Mr. Kovind’s case, his stint is likely to be largely predictable as the BJP-led NDA commands absolute majority in the Lok Sabha and if political pundits are to be believed the alliance has fair chance of returning to power when the next general elections are held in 2019. Having its nominee at the Raisina Hill will also be a comforting factor for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government in getting assent on key bills, particularly the ordinances. The Modi government has often taken the ordinance route while heralding several economic reforms to bypass the Rajya Sabha, where it does not have a majority.

Now that the suspense regarding who will occupy the top constitutional post is over, it would have been better had there been a consensus candidate for the highest seat of power. For, the President does not belong to a particular political party. He is the first citizen of the country. The political parties will do well in future to present a united candidate rather than just putting up a candidate for the sake of opposition. This should be the ideal situation.  In fact, this has happened in the past when Mr. Sanjiva Reddy was elected unopposed in 1977. But all said and done, both Mr. Kovind and Mrs Kumar should be commended for leading dignified campaigns in the run-up to election. Both of them represent the backward Dalit community and have set the highest traditions by not getting involved in mud-slinging. In Mr. Kovind, the country can be reassured that the rights of the poor, downtrodden and the marginalized sections of the society will be secure.