As the dust settles in Bihar after weeks of hectic electioneering, this eastern Indian state is all set for a stormy political future. First of all there is nothing grand about the so-called Grand Alliance of three politically diverse parties — two of which are past archenemies — which joined hands for a cause, viz., to defeat a political giant. So the cause might be grand, but not the cobbled-up alliance. Well, their game plan has worked. But what now? The incumbent chief minister Nitish Kumar, who scored a hat-trick, has a clean image as a leader who means business. He pursued his development agenda unhindered as his Grand Alliance ally Lalu Prasad Yadav gave outside support to the government in the outgoing Legislative Assembly. But the scenario is different now. Lalu's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) shockingly emerged as the single largest party with 80 Assembly seats in this election. He will no longer be an outside supporter, but an important part of the government. Lalu burst into the political terra firma in the early 1990s when he became the chief minister of Bihar and arrested the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart L.K. Advani during the infamous Rath Yatra. Lalu engaged in grassroots politics, exploited his rustic mannerism and projected himself as the leader of Muslims and "backwards". His political graph continued to rise so much so that he became railways minister at the center in 2004. But then came his downfall. In 1996, he was accused of involvement in a Rs4.50 billion fodder scam. In 2009 and 2014, his party could only manage to win four parliamentary seats. He was convicted in the fodder scam in 2013, and as a result lost his seat in parliament. When he was in power in Bihar — either directly or through proxy by making his wife the chief minister — the state witnessed an unprecedented rise in crime and corruption. His critics remember those days as the "jungle raj". Foreign media agencies started referring to Bihar as "India's most lawless state." With Lalu back in the limelight, the signs do not augur well for Bihar. I feel sorry for Nitish Kumar. Now that the alliance has tasted blood, the first test as to whether it can resist any cannibalistic temptations will be seen during the formation of the Cabinet. Two of Lalu's sons have won Assembly seats. They are there not just to occupy the treasury benches in the Legislative Assembly. Lalu must have grand plans of passing on the mantle of power to his sons and running the government by remote control. An emboldened Lalu as the leader of the single largest party is dangerous for Nitish and a bad omen for Bihar. It is difficult to stay unstained while playing with ink. Nitish cannot project himself as clean with Lalu by his side. It will not be easy now for Nitish to pursue his development agenda unhindered and present a corruption-free government in which the police are given a free hand to rein in criminal elements. If fringe elements and motormouths became the nemesis for the BJP, Lalu might prove to be the albatross around Nitish's neck. Wait and watch! — The writer can be contacted at: [email protected]
