Nitish Kumar reminds everybody that his support is crucial for government formation in 2014

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar organized a massive “adhikar rally” in the Capital’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday and reminded every political outfit that his support would be crucial for the installation of any government in 2014. Ostensibly, it was a pressure tactic to demand a special package for the development of his backward state but the wily Kumar was also sending a subtle message that he is open to exploring options outside the BJP-led NDA coalition.

Kumar said : “Either you give it (special status) now or after 2014, you will have to give it. You will have to accept the demand in circumstances that will be there after 2014. Only one, who feels about the backward and the backward states, will occupy the seat of power in Delhi (Centre).” It was an exemplary show of strength with NItish proving a point that he might not exactly be a propagandist like a few vocal chief ministers but his Bihar development model does suggest that he had accomplished quite a lot in a brief period.

The chief minister said that his state had been subjected to years of discrimination. The crowd broke into applause every time Kumar paused and continuously cheered him on. He said that the government at the Centre would have to be one which looks after Bihar and other such backward states. It was quite obvious from the tenor of his speech that he was maintaining an equidistance both from the BJP and the Congress, an year before the country goes to polls.

Interestingly both the Bihar unit of the BJP, a key ally of the JD(U) in Patna and the central BJP leadership had been kept out of the Ramlila platform, making it only a JD(U) show of strength. And it followed Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s equally enthralling speech in the Capital at a conclave on Saturday evening. Kumar looked as though he was eager to pitch his Bihar development model with the same vigour as Narendra Modi hawks his Gujarat development endeavour. Kumar said without referring to anybody that his province pursued the right development model because it tried to reach development to everybody and left out none.

Referring to the finance minister P Chidambaram’s budget statement, Kumar welcomed the Centre's proposal to change the criteria for backwardness as well as granting special status to a state. He demanded that this proposal be implemented without delay and that his struggle was “not only for Bihar but also for other similar backward states.”  "If policies change, the benefit will not accrue only to Bihar but other backward states as well," he said.
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In his speech which lasted about 25 minutes, Kumar invoked Bihari asmita and highlighted his many grievances against the Centre’s policy of depriving Bihar of crucial development assistance. But it was clear from the speech that Kumar had already started charting out a path of his own, now that it is getting more and more clear that the BJP will not ignore the intra-party chorus for making Narendra Modi its Prime Ministerial candidate. Kumar has already said in strong words that he would Modi’s candidature and if the BJP ignored his warning, he would walk out of the coalition. The tension between the BJP and its key partner JD(U) was quite palpable at Sunday’s Bihar adhikar rally.

In a resolution passed at the rally, the JD(U) said, "the commitment in the Budget speech must now result in its urgent implementation. We seek a time-bound action to accord a special category status to Bihar. We resolve to continue our struggle till this quest for special status is attained." 

In an apparent hint at a possible realignment, Kumar said that the time has come to bring together people of all backward regions so that the "real development" of the country can be ensured. Kumar will also be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday to press his demand for special status to Bihar. Kumar has not exactly thrown his hat in the ring and declared himself as a keen contestant in the Prime Ministerial race. But Sunday’s rally has proved beyond doubt that he is not going to be held back by coalition compulsions and willing to part ways with the BJP-led NDA if it becomes necessary.