Nitish reinvented

Nitish Kumar's shameful resignation drama may well go down in history as the nadir of the reign of the men of straw. For years now, the e...

Nitish Kumar8217;s shameful resignation drama may well go down in history as the nadir of the reign of the men of straw. For years now, the electorate has expected little of the political class. But some of its members, like the Hon8217;ble Minister for Railways, yet retain the po-wer to shock with their complete innocence of et-hics. Or even the redeeming virtues of humanity, such as shame.

Kumar8217;s resignation is a deliberate, calculated insult to the intelligence of the people. He will now continue in office in a caretaker government with the blessings of the Prime Minister 8212; possibly secured through the good offices of his socialist friends, who are rather good at leaning on people.

Then, swiftly reinvented himself as a martyr, he will take to the campaign trail. He will be pr-ojected as the first minister to quit on moral gr-ounds since Lal Bahadur Shastri. In a couple of months, he may be back in office, perhaps in charge of a more coveted portfolio. Nitish Kumar8217;s offer to quit is no better than awindfall poll resource, in an election in which emotive issues other than Kargil will lie thin on the ground.

There should be no illusions about Kumar8217;s motives. His moral qualms owe to the fact that his government is at the end of its caretaker status. It is an excellent time to bail out of the gutted hulk. The model code of conduct is in force and the ministry has become a useless fief. The rare and unusual urgings of Kumar8217;s moral faculty would actually leave him free to concentrate on the campaign right away.

If his resignation was indeed an act of contrition, it would have carried a rider: a promise to keep out of electoral politics for a decent period. Something like the period of social service that the delinquent commits himself to in exchange for the forgiveness of the people. The truncated penance he has offered is a public insult. It is a pity that the people shall be in no position to respond. Despite his high office, Kumar remains a small-time caste leader. And in the forthcoming election,the Kurmis of Barh, out of sheer respect for tradition, shall return him to power. The rest of the nation shall have no say in the matter.

Now that the minister8217;s resignation has been deemed unnecessary, it would be worth watching how he conducts himself. Decency would demand that he use his last days in office to begin a comprehensive enquiry into the incident. One that will not concentrate on finding scapegoats at the lowest and least embarrassing echelons of the service but will, possibly for the first time since Dalhousie, consider the performance of even the highest officials in the Railways.

So far, it is business as usual. Five lowly si-gnalmen are ripe for the chopping-block. But signalmen, however negligent, do not exist in a vacuum. They report to senior officials, who are res- ponsible for their performance, and the chain of responsibility goes right up to the ministry.

Story continues below this ad

Finding the people who actually committed the error is only part of the job. It is just as important to identify the peoplewho are responsible for their inadequacy. If he has any intention of doing penance, Nitish Ku-mar should get down to this job, now that he has be-en prevented from bailing out of his ministry.