By Arun Srivastava
Nitish Kumar has finally succeeded in getting his second in Command. Induction of his former electoral strategist Prashant Kishor into the Janata Dal United was initially presumed as a move by Nitish to work out a blue print of working policy and also to evolve a mechanism for seat sharing.
No doubt being officially projected as the only person next to Nitish carried much importance. Leaving aside the tradition style of welcoming a new face, Nitish embraced him before the political establishment and eulogized his performance. This unusual introductory move made it explicit that Nitish was for a some significant game plan.
The primary reason, which his minions confide, has been to show the right place to his old political friends and aides. Of late Nitish was feeling worried and disgusted at the behaviour of some of his trusted colleagues. Since a sense of skepticism prevailed in the party over its future and survival, these leaders have become quite active in securing their future. This was quite disquieting for Nitish.
The political scenario has further worsened due to the abrupt and abnormal rise in the crime. The police administration has virtually laid down its initiatives before the criminals. The moral of the party has further deepened with no senior leader from any of the parties showing their keenness to join JD(U). IN this backdrop the only way left for Nitish to keep the moral high of the rank and file, was to induct Prashant as the second in command.
After hardly four days of his initiation, churning has surfaced in the party. Some of the senior confidants of Nitish who till recently ruled the party and accentuated the future policy and nature of the politics have been feeling slighted. The important development that has taken place is Kishor’s entry into the party has triggered questions on the future role of R.C.P. Singh, the self styled number two in the party and confidant-in-chief of Nitish. It is said that Nitish would not do any thing without consulting him.
RCP Singh, RCP for insiders, has been looking after the financial health of the party rather than meeting the leaders and listening to their grievances. For quite some time, a section of leaders have been voicing their grievances and demanding his removal. Leaders confide to “unburden RCP of his responsibilities” Nitish brought in Kishor. RCP a former IAS officer, preferred to close working relations with his bureaucrat friends rather than interacting with the politicians of his party.
Party leaders in fact claim that he has failed to emerge as a leader in his own right. It now transpires that the RCP was mainly responsible for straining of relations between Lalu and Nitish. While Lalu Yadav did not acknowledge the existence of RCP, on his part RCP used to feed Nitish with the information that Lalu was playing the game of one-upmanship by simply engaging him (Nitish) in policy decisions.
His bias against Ram Bilas Paswan has been responsible for his not joining hands with the JD(U) during 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Paswan had shown interest in aligning with the JD(U0. In future Kishore would be the key person to negotiate the allocations of seats. It would a test for his political acumen. It is worth recalling that the JD(U) was the senior partner when it fought the Lok Sabha elections with the BJP in 2009.
Though at the recent executive meet Nitish told his party delegates that the JD(U) is close to finalising an “honourable” seat-sharing with BJP sources confide that the BJP is not willing to concede to his demand,
Kishore was inducted into the party at the organisation’s state executive meeting at the chief minister’s residence in Patna. Nitish presented him with an “angavastram”. After his joining the JD(U) Nitish had remarked “Prashant is the future”. At a time when the survival of Nitish is at stake, Kishore will have to enact the role of Lord Krishna, the driver of the chariot. (IPA Service)
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