The swearing in of Nitish Kumar as Bihar Chief Minister – for the fifth time – was as significant for the symbolism of Opposition unity as it was for the emergence of the JD(U) leader as a possible challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Lalu’s son, 26, is Deputy CM
On Friday, Governor Ramnath Kovind administered the oath of office and secrecy to Kumar and his 28-member Cabinet, which included the sons of RJD supremo and the Chief Minister’s new-found ally and “bade bhai (big brother)” Lalu Prasad.
Twenty-six-year-old Tejaswi Yadav, a first-time MLA, was named Deputy Chief Minister, while his elder brother Tej Pratap, also a debutant MLA, was sworn in as a Minister.
National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on Friday set the tone for the Grand Alliance’s big show , “Nitishji ko ab tayyari karni chahiye Dilli aane ki aur agla Pradhan Mantri banne ki (Nitish should now prepare to march to Delhi and be the next Prime Minister)”.
Kumar’s Grand Alliance, comprising his JD(U), Prasad’s RJD and the Congress, had defeated the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in a campaign spearheaded by Prime Minister Modi.
The ceremony saw the congregation of Opposition leaders of all hues – from Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to Aam Aadmi Party Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja, Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, DMK leaders MK Stalin and TR Baalu, Indian National Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh, Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Deve Gowda and National Conference leaders Farooq and Omar Abdullah.
Although Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav did not attend the function, SP MP Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, who is also the son-in-law of Lalu Prasad, was present at the Gandhi Maidan.
‘Rahul, a rising star’
The occasion was a cause of celebration among some in the BJP as well. Party MP Shatrughan Sinha, describing Rahul Gandhi as a “rising star”, was barely able to contain his exultation. “It has been a victory of democracy. I wish the new government led by Nitish babu, Laluji and rising star Rahul Gandhi great success,” said Sinha in a late night tweet on Thursday.
The BJP and the Centre was represented by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu while allies Shiv Sena and Akali Dal too attended the ceremony.
The fumble
While there were other sideshows – Tej Pratap Yadav’s fumble while he took oath and a flight delay that led to Rahul Gandhi reaching the venue almost an hour late – the primary message from the gathering was that of a unified opposition getting a boost from the Bihar elections.
There was criticism from BJP’s Shahnawaz Hussain and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP)’s Chirag Paswan who commented on Lalu Yadav’s sons getting precedence over other senior leaders such as Abdul Bari Siddhiqui during the oath-taking.
Besides Kumar, there are 12 ministers each from the RJD and the JD(U) and four from the Congress.
The omission
Senior Bihar Congress leader Sadanand Singh, left out of the Grand Alliance ministry, was named CLP leader by Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi announced Singh’s name as Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader at a function at the State Congress headquarters Sadaquat Ashram.
Sadanand Singh, ninth term MLA from Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, was considered a sure-shot in the new Bihar Cabinet but his name was not there among those who took oath on Friday.
CM keeps Home portfolio
The Chief Minister will look after home, general administration and information and public relations, highly-placed sources in the Raj Bhavan said. Law and order is considered to be the biggest challenge for Kumar, who will be heading an alliance government with RJD and Congress in the State.