Is something about to change in Bihar’s politics? This is a question that is being repeatedly asked after Bihar made national headlines on Friday, 20 May.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the house of former Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in the morning, and by later in the evening, Janata Dal (United) JD(U) head and chief minister Nitish Kumar held an emergency meeting of his party.
Amidst the flurry of activities, RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha and JD(U) minister Mohammad Jama Khan made statements that hinted at the change of winds.
Yadav’s house in Delhi was raided in connection with a 13-year-old case related to corruption in the railway recruitment board, when he was a union minister. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleged that Yadav accepted land in lieu of handing out government jobs between 2004 and 2009.
Are Political Winds Changing in Bihar?
Questions are being raised on the real motive behind the CBI raids.
There have been political ripples in Bihar for some time, and the statement of Manoj Jha, RJD's Rajya Sabha MP, has some clues about it.
“The CBI is trying to scare us by encircling us,” he said.
But the question is, what does he mean by 'encircling'? What game is being played behind the veil of sudden activeness of the CBI against Lalu Yadav?
Let us understand why the motive of these raids is being questioned.
‘Jab We Met’ at Iftar
An interesting development has been taking place in Bihar politics for the last two months.
Nitish Kumar and RJD leader and Lalu Prasad's son Tejashwi Yadav were seen hugging each other at an iftar party at Rabri Devi’s house earlier in May.
Kumar was invited by Tejashwi Yadav and he obliged gladly.
Then, it was Kumar's turn to throw a party – attended by both Tej Pratap and Tejashwi Yadav.
The bonhomie was quite visible as pictures of Kumar seeing Tejashwi off up to his vehicle in the doorway were splashed in local media the next day.
The political temperature of Bihar peaked when Tejashwi announced a long march to Delhi demanding a caste-based census. But Kumar's closed-door meeting with Tejashwi has had an effect, as latter's attitude towards former seems subdued.
Emergency Meeting of JD(U)
The emergency meeting of JD(U) on 20 May has, however, caught everyone's attention.
Kumar held an emergency meeting of JD(U) at his home in which several senior leaders, including Rajiv Ranjan 'Lalan' Singh, were present.
“We have authorised Nitish Kumar and the party president to take any decision they deem proper,” Zama Khan, JD(U) leader and minister in the state government, said, after coming out of the meeting.
While Khan did not speak in detail about what was to be decided, Jha's comment on 'encirclement' is not a coincidence.
Lalu-Nitish Relationship: The CBI's Role
It is not the first time that the CBI is playing a part in the Lalu-Nitish relationship. In 2017, CBI raids in connection with an alleged corruption case in Railway Recruitment Board against Yadav resulted in Tejashwi losing his deputy chief minister post.
Kumar broke the alliance and saved his government with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But the politics in Bihar seems to have come full circle as Kumar and Tejashwi are now singing the same tune, and raising identical issues.
Now the question is whether the CBI raids are aimed at reminding Nitish Kumar about his image as an uncompromising politician on the issue of corruption, or whether it is a hint for him against any recusancy.
(Translated from Quint Hindi by Arvind Singh.)
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