Bihar chief minister and JD(U) stalwart Nitish Kumar on Sunday pronounced yet again, this time more forcefully than before, his lack of desire to become Prime Minister. But many in the JD(U) are unwilling to accept his words on this count either as the ambitious regional party’s sacred law or unalterable destiny.
Mr Kumar, whose reluctance to rise to India’s top public office has been well known since the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, chose to mention his absence of aspiration in the middle of his address at a conference of Muslim artisans in Patna. His statement first struck many in the audience as an unnecessary sideshow unrelated to the immediate issues at hand. But the political significance of his words in the contexts of Bihar’s politics and communalism was unmistakable.
By unexpectedly broaching the issue of prime ministerial ambitions, Mr Kumar made a veiled attack on his arch rival in Bihar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, a self-confessed aspirant for the top post and a leader still revered in Bihar for maintaining communal harmony.
“There have been several chief ministers who bore the ambition of becoming Prime Minister but finally failed to achieve that dream and also lost the post of chief minister,” said Mr Kumar. He was clearly referring to the end of the RJD’s 15-year rule in Bihar with the NDA’s continuous poll victories since 2005 and Mr Yadav’s current reduced status as just one of the RJD’s four MPs.
JD(U) leaders close to Mr Kumar, however, rule out the possibility of the party’s tallest leader sticking to his reluctance if there is a solid NDA consensus for his candidature for the PM’s post in the 2014 general elections.
“At its best, his (Kumar’s) constant expressions of reluctance are careful posturing that is good both for Bihar and the country at this time. There is every possibility of Nitishjee becoming PM,” said a senior JD(U) leader close to him.