DEJA VU - BUT WITH A DIFFERENCE

The story is far from over although given the silence of the lambs, read opposition, in other states Bihar has demonstrated a new resilience. After Maharashtra where the BJP pulled the rug from under Uddhav Thackeray's feet, Bihar was the obvious target. And stirrings were felt a while ago, it seems, with the restored mahagathbandhan leaders claiming they have recordings of a senior Union Minister's conversations with Janata Dal (U) legislators.

However, the old socialists have yet again demonstrated that while they are good at squabbling they are also highly political and astute. Talks between the various Opposition parties were initiated by chief minister Nitish Kumar a while ago (some say as long as two months ago) with the hurdles being addressed and crossed in preliminary conversations. And Nitish Kumar who has been straining at the BJP leash for a while now found new acceptability in the rest of the Opposition after these discussions that bridged the distrust and the anger. After all, it was not that long ago when the grand alliance was left in the lurch with the JD(U) leader moving lock, stock and barrel to the BJP.

This time around there are some differences. And important differences at that. In his last years in power with the BJP, Nitish Kumar has presided over a solid expansion of the party, the RSS and its wings in Bihar. Media reports levels of penetration in the rural areas that were not that visible before. How this pans out remains to be seen, but it is a well known fact in Bihar that the RSS machinery now has a deeper footfall in the state where caste always prevailed over communalism. Time will tell whether this has changed, and to what extent if any.

Having said that, the very fact that the Opposition has managed to hold out against the gathering BJP onslaught itself indicates that the leaders are not on their own, and still have the support of their various constituencies. It is not easy to face up to the BJP which is a highly organised, determined machine but Nitish Kumar with the sound help of young Tejaswi Yadav was able to do this with apparent ease. In that not only have the machinations been exposed, but the immediate plan of action with the chief minister resigning and thereby dissolving the existing government in one stroke was clearly well thought out. Kumar is expected to take the oath of office now with the support of 164 MLAs now, well above the numbers required to form the government.

The second difference thus, is the unity of the Opposition with the Left and the Congress coming together to extend full support to the old socialist parties to stay, and to form the government. There is a level of bonhomie reflected in Nitish Kumar's visit to meet former chief minister and RJD leader Rabri Devi.

The third difference is that the long term plan has also been sorted out at least from within the Opposition. Nitish Kumar who was acceptable to all sections of the Opposition when he decided to join the BJP and leave them in the lurch is back centre stage as the possible candidate for Prime Minister in 2024. And the manner in which he spoke of Tejaswi Yadav, the young man with old wisdom, indicates that the RJD leader will be the candidate for Bihar chief minister in the not so distant future. Bitten by time and circumstances the Opposition leaders seem to have learnt lessons that might well ensure more cohesive and efficient functioning.

The economic plan for development seems to have been thought out to some extent as well, with indications from the state, of a first announcement on unemployment. The new government is expected to lock a time frame for the generation of new jobs, and work towards this end. It is clear that if the future is to be as planned, the issues of development and livelihood will have to take over. And completely replace inner wranglings and squabbling that also socialists have been famous for.