Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who has been a symbol of the return of good governance to Bihar, has begun embracing politicians facing criminal cases with only three months to go for the Bihar Assembly polls.

Eyebrows were raised when he brought Mr Mohammed Taslimuddin, a controversial politician with criminal cases pending against him, into the JD(U) a few days ago. In the mid ’80s, Mr Kumar was one of the members who had prepared a Bihar Vidhan Sabha Committee report against Mr Taslimuddin’s alleged “criminal connections”.
He is also wooing the jailed politician Anand Mohan Singh. Moreover, Mr Kumar is being accused of going soft on Naxalites in his state. It was claimed that the bulk of the Naxalites come from the backward Kushava community and Mr Kumar intends to go soft on them as the community comprises nearly six per cent of the vote bank, which is more than Mr Kumar’s Kurmi community. The other “bahubali leaders” in his team include Dhumal Singh, Anant Singh, Sunil Pandey and Munna Shukla. Another convicted heavyweight, Syed Shahabuddin, has reportedly spurned Mr Kumar’s efforts to win his support during the elections.
Resentment brewed in both the JD(U) and BJP camps when Mr Kumar inducted former RJD leader Taslimuddin into the JD(U). The issue was raised in BJP circles as well as in the JD(U) camp. Though Mr Taslimuddin faces several criminal and corruption charges, he reportedly has considerable influence among the Muslims, particularly in belts like Kishenganj, Purnea and Ararria districts. Muslims comprise 16 per cent of Bihar’s population.
There were reports that Mr Kumar had also sent feelers to former MP Shahabuddin and offered a position to his wife, Hina Sahab, in the organisation. Sources disclosed that so far Mr Shahabuddin has not responded to Mr Kumar’s feelers. For the record, Mr Shahabuddin was convicted of carrying out an armed raid on the outfit’s office in 1998 and has been convicted of the kidnapping and attempted murder of a CPI(M-L) activist in 1999.
Mr Kumar’s recent visit to the ancestral house of Anand Mohan in Saharsa district also caused discomfort in the JD(U). “The signal is not right. It might help us win elections, but then we are no different from Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD,” a JD(U) leader said. Mr Kumar visited Mohan’s house to attend the marriage of his niece. Speculation is rife that Mr Kumar might offer a party post to Anand Mohan’s wife, Lovely. Anand Mohan is serving a life sentence for the murder of a Bihar district judge in 1994. He has a strong base among Rajputs in the Kosi river belt.
The BJP, which has been maintaining a stringent anti-Naxal stance, is upset with Mr Kumar’s so-called “soft-pedalling on Maoists in the state”. A senior BJP leader said, “Under Nitish we see a kind of caste politics which we have not seen even during Lalu’s time.” It was claimed that since the bulk of the Maoists belonged to the backward community, particularly Kushava, Mr Kumar intends to give them a long rope. It was learnt that while the Kushava community comprises nearly six per cent of Bihar’s population, the Kurmi strength is around 3.33 per cent.