Beyond redemption

MARCH 5: Given the fractured verdict in Bihar, Governor Vinod Chandra Pande was in an unenviable position. Any decision by him on the lead...

MARCH 5: Given the fractured verdict in Bihar, Governor Vinod Chandra Pande was in an unenviable position. Any decision by him on the leadership question would have been contentious. Thus the flak he has received for swearing in as chief minister National Democratic Alliance leader Nitish Kumar is not surprising. Most of the questions that are asked about his decision would have been raised even if his decision had favoured Rashtriya Janata Dal nominee Rabri Devi. Even so what is distressing is that Pande has not followed any principle or yardstick in taking his decision.

It would be worthwhile to recall that when the RJD appeared to be emerging as the single largest party, most of the NDA leaders had argued that the governor was duty bound to invite the NDA because it would emerge as the largest pre-poll alliance. Little did they know that Laloo Yadav8217;s pre-poll alliance with the CPM would pip the NDA at the post even on this score. Thus the governor8217;s decision flies in the face of these two time-tested principles. It now transpires that Nitish Kumar had given a longer list of MLAs supporting him than Rabri Devi. It is also argued that the RJD nominee was late in submitting the crucial letter of support from the Congress. But the fact remains that the governor had not set any time limit for the two sides to show proof of support to buttress their claims.

The governor, who showed haste in swearing in Kumar, has given him 10 long days to prove his majority on the floor of the House. If this is not a gubernatorial licence for horsetrading, what else is it? By this decision, Pande has dented his image as a stickler for rules and political decorum. A better option for him would have been to wait for a few days to enable a realignment of forces in the state and crystallisation of support for the two leaders. In that case, he would have appeared even-handed. Be that as it may, Laloo Yadav is making a mountain out of a molehill by encouraging his supporters to make mincemeat of law and order in the state. If he really has the support he claims, it should not be difficult for him to ensure that the government is voted out when it tables a motion of confidence in the House. The fact is, Laloo Yadav does not have majority support even if all the 23 Congress legislators comply with the directive of the party high command to support him. So what is he complainingabout?

The RJD leader cannot overlook the fact that the verdict was, by and large, against him. It may be unfair to call his regime quot;Jungle Rajquot; as some of the NDA leaders are fond of doing, but then the 10 years of his rule saw Bihar plummeting in all key sectors. Today Bihar has become a byword for corruption, casteism and violence. No other leader in Bihar has in recent times enjoyed as much popular support as Laloo Yadav did but, unfortunately, he did not put it to good use. It is too much to expect Nitish Kumar to undo the damage done to the state by Laloo Yadav and his predecessors of various hues, particularly when he is critically dependent on a bunch of criminals, party hoppers and carpetbaggers, even if his heart is in the right place. Therein lies the tragedy facing the second most populous state.