What should the JD(U) do with the Bihar CMIJ
An interesting political game is being played out in Bihar which votes for a new Government towards this year-end. The precariously-placed Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is engaged in political brinkmanship by regularly saying he does not know how long he would last in his post, while also hinting that any move to ease him out would be seen as an affront to the most-backward caste to which he belongs.
He believes that his chief ministership has taken the contours of a T-20 cricket match rather than being a Test innings — which he must have hoped for when he took over from Mr Nitish Kumar after the Janata Dal (United) fared badly in the 2014 lok Sabha election. Mr Manjhi is a consummate politician and his remarks should be seen in the context of the hectic developments that are poised to re-shape politics in Bihar.
The ruling Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal will soon be merging, bringing convicted RJD leader lalu Prasad in the forefront of decision-making in the Government, albeit from the outside. Nobody yet knows what shape governance will take in the State in the immediate aftermath of the expected merger in the run-up to the Assembly election, but it does appear that Mr Manjhi will find his wings clipped unless he toes the merged entity's line.
It is not clear if the incumbent Chief Minister and his band of supporters will relish taking orders from or working on the directives of lalu Prasad. But apart from his equations with the RJD supremo, it is his relationship with Mr Nitish Kumar that has come under the scanner. He was the latter's choice for chief ministership, and as things stood then, Mr Manjhi was expected to simply follow the instructions of Mr Nitish Kumar in running the Government — nothing more or less. Yet, over the past few months, Mr Manjhi has demonstrated, much to the dismay of Mr Nitish Kumar's camp, a decided trait of independence.
His routine tributes to his mentor, whom he has called “Bihar's Chanakya”, notwithstanding, it is far from established that the Chief Minister is comfortable with the political pulls and pressures, more so when they threaten his tenure.
However, Mr Manjhi has more nuisance value for his party and its allies than any real political heft. Additionally, he has shown no administrative acumen. Beyond the circle of his ardent supporters, he is treated in the State with amusement at best and disdain at worst. The JD(U) leadership would have been happy to end the embarrassment by requesting him to quit, but the looming election and the possibility of even more embarrassments that he might lead the party to, if he told to go, is holding the leadership back. Indeed, the JD(U) is caught in a Catch-22 situation. Should it let Mr Manjhi continue until the election and risk trouble, or should it ask him to go and brace for the impactIJ Mr Nitish Kumar will have to take the uncomfortable call.