The pollsters, exit polls and I were proved totally wrong in anticipating the results of the recent Bihar Assembly elections. The former’s expertise went astray in their predictions. In my case, I, as an ordinary citizen, can be faulted for wishful thinking. The real reason for the Mahagathbandhan’s asto-unding success was the brilliant poll strategy of Nitish Kumar and conducting the poll campaign with much dignity. He now stands tallest among the Opposition leaders in the country and can well be regarded as a potential Prime Minister. A democracy needs both, a strong ruling party and a strong Opposition.
I first met Mr Kumar when he was a student leader and I had just quit the Army in 1984. I was installing a life-size bronze statue of Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) at a prime location overlooking Gandhi Maidan in Patna. The then Congress chief minister, Bindeshwari Dubey, kindly gave us the site for the statue free of cost. The work on the statue had begun. Mr Kumar came to me to get me to change the site for the statue to the roundabout near the income-tax office in Patna. I tried to explain to him that I could not do so because the work on the statue had already started and the state government would not give us the other site which, in any case, was not a suitable location. He wanted the statue at that site in the attire in which JP had led a silent procession with mouths covered with black cloth. I appreciated his sentiment and agreed to have a bronze plaque of JP in that attire at the pedestal below the statue. This did not satisfy him and led to much unnecessary controversy in the press. President Zail Singh came to Patna and unveiled the statue with much fanfare on June 25, 1986. That was the date when Emergency was declared in 1975 and JP was imprisoned.
I next interacted with Mr Kumar when he was Central minister for agriculture and, thereafter, minister for railways when I was governor of Assam and later of Jammu & Kashmir. I was much impressed by his humanity and his reputation for personal integrity and good administration. Subsequently, he became chief minister of Bihar and I met him a few times with my proposal for renaming Patna as Pataliputra, as also of having a unique “Civilisation Gate” in Patna which would surpass any such gate, like Gateway of India in Mumbai, India Gate at New Delhi and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in both size and grandeur. Mr Kumar accepted my proposal for a “Civilisation Gate” but did not agree to renaming Patna, perhaps due to political compulsions.
His administration and integrity brought about considerable development of Bihar and improved the anarchical law and order situation in the state. From the lowest rate of economic growth in the country, Bihar registered the highest rate of growth, though it still has to catch up with some advanced states in this regard. After having done such a lot for Bihar as chief minister of the National Democratic Alliance for nearly two terms, he chose to resign. During the recent elections in Bihar he teamed up with Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav — once friend, then enemy and again friend. He also found an alliance with other Opposition parties, including the Congress, for taking on the formidable Narendra Modi. Many, including me, were critical of this political opportunism and deviation from his earlier principled stand. I did not realise that politics is the game of the possible.
A successful politician does not have to be mulish in his approach. Eminent political leaders have found it convenient to change loyalties and this may be accepted as realpolitik. Winston Churchill, considered the greatest war leader of Britain of all time, switched over from the Liberal Party to the Conservative Party. In India we have had many politicians who have switched loyalties, some as part of power politics but, unfortunately, most for corrupt reasons. I belong to a generation which saw the political leaders of our Freedom Movement always adhere to the Mahatma’s dictum of the end not justifying the means and the need for both the end and the means to be noble.
The Mahatma was a saint in politics. His unique success in winning the Independence of India was only a partial success because of the Partition holocaust and the vivisection of the country. Despite this, he is revered all over the world today. It is interesting that his statue was recently unveiled in front of the British Parliament, the mother of parliamentary democracy. The statue of his bitterest opponent, Winston Churchill, is located nearby. Not being a politician myself, I had been much influenced by the ideals of the Mahatma. Hence my disappointment with the political opportunism of Mr Kumar. Now I realise that what he did was necessary for the good of Bihar.
Mr Modi has done the right thing in congratulating him at his success and he in turn has offered to cooperate with both the Centre and the Opposition in the state. This is as it should be in a healthy democracy. Mr Kumar used Bihari self-pride and the slogan “Bihari not Bahari” while campaigning for the Bihar elections. I am hopeful that he will deliver on his promise to improve the economy and the law and order situation in Bihar, providing good and effective governance. He will thereby, in concrete terms, contribute to Bihari self-pride. No doubt Mr Modi and his party have suffered a serious setback in Bihar. The battle may have been lost but not the war. His recent visit to London emphatically showed that the Bihar setback has not taken the shine from the Modi wave. Hopefully, the Centre and Bihar will be constructive in building up Bihar’s economy.
The writer, a retired lieutenant-general, was Vice-Chief of Army Staff and has served as governor of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir
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