Calling for a complete change

After over two-and-a-half years in office, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expanded his cabinet mid-April.

After over two-and-a-half years in office, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expanded his cabinet mid-April. Not a simple expansion, it was in many ways, an unprecedented exercise. While 19 new faces were inducted, 10 ministers, some of them seniors, were dropped. But the most significant aspect of the cabinet rejig was the complete overhaul every minister lost the department he held.

The move initially took everyone by surprise but later it was widely termed a daring step in political circles. It was for the first time in the states history that a cabinet reshuffle had happened on this scale. Not even Lalu Yadav had attempted anything close to it when he was in power in the state. In fact, Lalu had done quite the opposite. He had kept expanding his list of ministers in a clear bid to keep everyone in good humour.

Nitish may still be way behind in terms of enjoying the kind of popularity Lalu did, but by undertaking an exercise on this scale, and that too successfully, he has stamped his authority over his party and more significantly, Bihar.

Surprisingly, the cabinet reshuffle has given rise to rebellion in coalition partner BJP and not the JD U, which unlike its saffron partner is not a cadre-based party. Though simmering discontent exists among many JDU leaders, no one has dared to come out in public. Asked to react over the change of portfolios, every minister said the same line: It is the Chief Ministers prerogative.

On expected lines, however, the JD U should have witnessed a greater scale of rebellion than the BJP.

Political analysts feel that by undertaking an unprecedented overhaul of ministerial portfolios, Nitish Kumar has tested his authority as chief minister. Kumar first directed all his ministers to submit their resignations. The directive came as a bolt from the blue for many senior ministers. But none mustered the courage to oppose it. One by one all the 27 ministers put in their papers, giving Kumar a free hand to decide their fate. None of the ministers really knew what was in store for them. The mystery continued till a couple of hours before the new ministers were administered oath of office.

If Kumar was authoritarian in reshuffling the portfolios of his ministers, he also tried to be magnanimous by inducting rebel MLA Chhedi Paswan in his cabinet. Paswan, a vocal critic of the Nitish government, was suspended for anti-party activities. He was undergoing treatment in AIIMS in New Delhi, when he was given the news. He had to be in Patna the same evening to take oath and that looked impossible. But the Nitish government made it possible. A special aircraft got Paswan to Patna in time. Paswan was amazed by this gesture of the chief minister.

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But critics say this too shows the chief ministers authoritarian hand.

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