Bihar episode takes sheen off PM’s image

As they say, everything falls in line when things go in one's favour. That best explains the recent political developments in Bihar. Nitish Kumar, who rode to power in 2015 Assembly elections in alliance with maverick Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, shifted his loyalty overnight and joined hands with BJP recently.

This has not only stunned political observers, but also people at large. Kumar, a three-time Bihar CM and known for his clean image, left BJP fold four years ago in 2013 in an apparent protest against Narendra Modi becoming BJP's prime ministerial candidate. But he did a volte face and went back to accept the leadership of same Modi.

Kumar reminds us of Ramakrishna Hedge who used to resign as Chief Minister of Karnataka at the drop of a hat. Known for his administrative skills, Hedge despite being in Opposition camp received praise from Rajiv Gandhi who famously once said he was the only leader in India capable of becoming Prime Minister in those days. But frequent resignations took sheen off his political career and he could never become PM, but H D Deve Gowda, a little known political face from Karnataka, could.

Interestingly, Opposition parties were gearing up to prop up Nitish Kumar as prime ministerial candidate to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 elections. But Kumar dashed their hopes by joining the Modi camp instead!

Many political pundits showed Nitish Kumar in poor light, thereby giving clean chit to Modi in this sordid episode. Is Narendra Modi not at fault? The emphatic answer to this question is 'no.' He is also at fault and his image also took a beating in this fast-paced political drama.

There should not be any objection to anyone if BJP invites Nitish Kumar into its fold and the latter accepts it. But the saffron party should have asked the Bihar Chief Minister to dissolve Bihar Assembly and call for fresh elections.

Bihar people voted for Mahagatbandan comprising Kumar's JD(U), RJD and Congress to power while handing out the role of Opposition to BJP in the 2015 elections. That's people's verdict and any person who has even an iota of respect for democracy should accept and respect it.

In 2014, people handed a historic mandate to Narendra Modi-led BJP and made him Prime Minister with clear majority. He is the first Prime Minister and BJP is the first political party to get clear a majority after three decades.

Everyone should respect the verdict whether one likes it or not and allow him to rule the country for five years. Same rule applies to Mahagatbandan’s victory in Bihar elections.

So, call for mid-term polls post the JD(U) exit from the alliance would have enhanced Modi’s image by leaps and bounds. But by indulging in this kind of politics, Modi has not only taken the people of Bihar for a ride, but also those who voted for him across the country.

It is fact that people have given him a thumping majority, but that doesn't mean that he can undermine democracy with impunity. That will lead to dangerous consequences for a country like India which cherishes its democratic values.

It will be interesting to see how courts will react if one of the RJD supporters approaches them and asks for the dismissal of the present Bihar government because he voted for JD(U) as it was part of the grand alliance.

It's no exaggeration to say that the Bihar episode exposed greed in the BJP to grab power at any cost. Thanks to the turncoat MLAs and MPs, parliamentary democracy has more or less become a dead horse these days and this latest episode has put another nail in its coffin.

It's high time India shifts to presidential form of democracy to curb the horse-trading and migration of elected representatives from one party to other. In the presidential form of democracy adopted by the US, people directly elect the President at the national level and Governors at the State level. India can adopt similar system to elect the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers directly.

That way, corrupt electoral practices can also be checked. Besides, Indian voters are now matured enough to elect their leaders wisely. Also, people will at least know who will be their Chief Minister or Prime Minister. That's not possible in the current system where Lok Sabha MPs elect Prime Minister while MLAs choose the Chief Minister in the states.

However, it's human trait that successful people tend to be under the illusion that others will accept whatever they do even if it's wrong – small or big. But that may hold true only till things go in their favour. But every mistake comes back to haunt them when chips are down.

By P Madhusudhan Reddy