How and why Nitish Kumar's clean image has taken a beating

Until last week, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was seen as a potential challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. However, the last 48 hours in Bihar have taken the sheen off Nitish Kumar's assiduously cultivated image of 'Sushashan Babu', the no-nonsense politician who, through his good governance, established the rule of law in a lawless state like Bihar. But Nitish Kumar is to be blamed if the Opposition is making hue and cry about how he appointed a man facing kidnapping charges as the new law minister of Bihar.

Kartik Singh, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLC, facing charges of abducting a builder, Raju Singh, and asked by the court to appear before it on August 16, was instead sworn in as one of Nitish Kumar's ministers and the same day, was made Bihar's law minister. Nitish Kumar's hitherto unblemished image of a politician who shows zero tolerance towards crime and corruption has, therefore, taken a beating, with many questioning how he has been arm-twisted by his allies in the recent past.

"I have no idea about the criminal charges pending against him," Nitish Kumar washed his hands off when quizzed about the compulsion of making a legislator with a shady past the law minister.

Also Read | 72% of Bihar ministers face criminal cases: ADR

Past perfect

This is the same Nitish Kumar who asked Jitan Ram Manjhi to resign within hours of being sworn in as a minister in November 2005 after the Janata Dal (United) chief came to know that Manjhi was facing criminal proceedings in the BEd scam, while earlier serving as a minister in the previous Rabri Devi government. Manjhi was re-inducted two years later after getting a clean chit from the court.

The same Nitish Kumar, who earlier came under fire for appointing his close aide and JD(U) legislator from Tarapur, Mewalal Choudhary, as a minister, lost no time in asking Choudhary to quit after he came to know that the latter was facing corruption charges over the appointment of assistant professors-cum-junior scientists during his tenure as the vice-chancellor of Bhagalpur Agriculture University.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar had sacked his transport minister, Ramanand Singh, when he came to know the latter was facing corruption cases at the Muzaffarpur-based Kanti Thermal Power Station, where the latter had worked earlier. On all these three occasions, where he gave his controversial ministers the boot, one thing was common: All three belonged to the JD(U).

Also Read | Will withdraw campaign in Bihar if new govt provides 5-10 lakh jobs in 2 years: Prashant Kishor

In the eye of a storm

In the latest episode of appointing a controversial figure, the man in the eye of the storm is an RJD MLC, who avers he is not a fugitive and has been provided relief by the court. "How can a lower court provide relief to an accused if the Patna High Court has refused to grant any relief to him in the same case," wondered former Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, also the BJP MP from Patna Sahib.

"Nitish was voted to power in the name of establishing law and order. Now, he is succumbing to the pressure of his new-found ally - the RJD, which wants to run the state much like the 1990s, where people remained terrorised, felt stifled, and many of whom migrated to other states," charged BJP Rajya Sabha MP and Nitish's former deputy Sushil Kumar Modi.

The BJP's charge (of Nitish Kumar feigning ignorance) is not wide off the mark. Ever since he donned the mantle of the state in November 2005, he has kept the home portfolio with him and is known to keep an eagle eye on any wrongdoings by his ministers and legislators. That he was unaware of the past misdeeds of his present law minister may not hold much water.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.)