The trapeze artist in the circus!
Nitish is at it again; for the umpteenth time, he is likely to jump ship, discard the RJD, and consequently the INDI alliance, to tie up with the BJP and its NDA. I was one of many who raised eyebrows in utter disbelief when he discarded the BJP alliance, despite the BJP being a larger partner and Nitish holding the Chief Minister’s portfolio. His greed to stick to power was manifest in his move, as there were not many corruption complaints from his NDA colleagues then. Nitish was playing a secular card then!
Nitish chose RJD to become the CM again despite his frosty relations with the party chief, Lalu Prasad Yadav, who has served jail terms, is on bail, and still has a few cases pending against him and his family members. I had predicted then that the alliance would not sustain itself and would end sooner than expected. Nitish may be whimsical with utter unconcern for principled politics, changing from one extreme to another at a drop of a hat, but he is brutally honest. RJD, being what it is, therefore was a bad alliance with Tejaswi Yadav as his deputy. Nitish may be privy to the news of the imminent arrest of his deputy, Tejaswi Yadav, on corruption charges in the near future.
The BJP party, too, seems to have blown its principled politics to smithereens, ready to take in Nitish and form the government in Bihar. Obviously, the BJP wants to puncture the INDI alliance in every way and manner possible and Nitish has provided the fodder. Nitish’s likely discarding is a bigger blow to the Sonia-led Congress party and her hastily sewed-up INDI alliance, which is crumbling before her eyes, even before the game has begun. Amid such serious happenings, her son is walking on a Jodo yatra, ‘a cementing journey’, an almost listless effort, giving a photo-op to a few of their forgotten party persons.
If the INDI alliance collapses officially, it will affect many states, including West Bengal. Mamata will be forced to face a triangular contest, depleting her chances to make a big kill out of the Lok Sabha elections. I see her, as of today, winning a maximum of 22 seats. I will expand on the figure (which could change based on several future factors) later. Nitish made a dramatic visit to Bengal, calling on Mamata but her hopes seem dashing now. Mamata is clever, and if she smells that the chances of her being in the PM chair have slipped away from her, she will put her entire energy into fighting the BJP in Bengal. However, the left and the Congress fighting against her are not honey to her ears.
Nitish’s political career is uncertain. Because the RJD gave him a break during his earlier tenure, he was unkind to the BJP. Modi and Amit Shah may not forget the slyness of Nitish, who is now on par with Mayawati, who is left alone in the wilderness of a political battlefield. Mamata is also heading in that direction for her handling of the State Congress and the Left, using them when needed and throwing them in the dustbin when the need is over.
The churn of the political ocean is discernible; the nectar and the poison are separating, which is not bad for the country. The opportunists will be shown the exit door soon!
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
