Bihar killings could strain JD(U)-RJD relations
The recent spate of killings in Bihar weeks after Mr Nitish Kumar took over as Chief Minister, heading a coalition Government of his Janata Dal (United), lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress, has given a handle to his opponents to question his claim of maintaining law and order and ensuring the non-return of jungle raj. While the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance have expectedly latched on to the incidents to take jibes at the “sushanshan babu” (Mr Nitish Kumar), it's the response of the JD(U)'s allies that should be troubling the party and the Chief Minister. lalu Prasad, for whose tenure Mr Nitish Kumar had coined the term jungle raj, advised the Chief Minister to give a free hand to the police to deal with criminals. Implicit in the suggestion was that Mr Nitish Kumar was not doing so. The irony of the sermon coming from someone like lalu Prasad wasn't lost on anyone. On the other hand, the Congress too joined the chorus, saying the developments were a “matter of grave concern”. A former Bihar party chief Sadanand Singh said, “When you talk of good governance, you need to act fast.” He even questioned the “intent” of the State regime. Here too, the underlying message was that the Government was not moving fast enough to tackle the law and order situation. On the back foot, the JD(U) was quick to counter the statements. It said that the Chief Minister, who has the reputation of a sound administrator, did not need lessons on good governance from anyone. At one level, the reaction appears to be knee-jerk; after all, allies have the right to point to troublesome issues. At another level, it smacks of arrogance on the JD(U)'s part; it is unwilling to accept any criticism, even constructive, from others that include its own friends. At a third level, the sharp retort is a bid to dispel the perception that the party is subordinate to the RJD in matters of governance. This perception had gained ground for two major reasons: The first is that the RJD has the larger numbers in the Assembly and, is therefore, in a position to dominate; the second is that lalu Prasad's two sons got inducted into the ministry, with one securing the Deputy Chief Minister's post.
While it is certainly not the case that the alliance in Bihar is already in a crisis, it certainly could be if more reasons for friction come up frequently. It must be remembered that the three-way coalition has been an uneasy one in ideological terms, with nothing in common between lalu Prasad and Mr Nitish Kumar except for their desire to checkmate Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the anti-Modi glue cannot hold the parties together for long if they find reasons to spar on a regular basis. The parties may then not be able to contain voices from within that can add to the worsening situation. Eventually, the strain can take a serious turn once the RJD and the JD(U) begin to believe that the other is turning out to be a political liability.