The Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)-BJP alliance government in Bihar completed 100 days of its second term on Sunday brimming with satisfaction, confidence and ambition. After decisively winning the political battles, the government got down to work and sent off bold signals in the first 100 days.
Mr Kumar, whose leadership won the NDA a landslide three-fourths majority in Bihar in the October-November polls in 2010, emerged as a far stronger regional politician with unquestionable national potentials within the NDA and amplified his reputation as a workaholic chief minister soon after assuming office. He chaired as many as 18 Cabinet meetings during this period and led some decisions that could have far-reaching impacts in improving life in Bihar.
Known as a man with impeccable personal integrity, Mr Kumar bagged three national awards in these 100 days, taking the number of awards he got in five years to 11 and making him perhaps India’s most awarded politician. The chief minister, who insists he does not want to become Prime Minister, reportedly works for 18 hours daily, spending several hours poring over government files, discussing implementation of welfare schemes with senior officials and guiding his party JD(U)’s affairs.
He has held seven crowded “janata durbar” programmes to personally hear public grievances at his residence in these 100 days. Even on the New Year’s Day, when his old mother battling her illness, Mr Kumar met ordinary people who came from across Bihar to meet him. His mother breathed her last in the noon the same day. Mr Kumar did not skip the pre-scheduled “janata durbar” programme three days later.
Within a week of winning the polls, Mr Kumar’s government began the process of honouring one of the NDA’s most crucial election promises and initiated both legislative and executive steps for an increasingly determined campaign to stem corruption in Bihar. These bold steps include the Cabinet decision to abolish the legislators’ local area development (LAD) fund and making it mandatory for all ministers and government officials to submit details of their movable and immovable assets.
“This is a government working in letter and spirit to fulfil the chief minister’s instructions to ministers to complete the work of five years in three years,” said food and consumer affairs minister Shyam Razak of the JD(U).