Nitish Kumar: Are his slips political?

A confirmation of the degenerating political culture has come from an unexpected quarter. Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar, who is otherwise known for his decent public behavior, He has never been found deficient in articulating his ideas. He has never been rude to his opponents, either. But the current session of the Bihar assembly saw a new avatar of an otherwise cool and disciplined chief minister. His recent outbursts in the assembly stunned his friends and foes alike. His indecent behavior only became disastrous when he targeted those sections that enjoyed his unreserved support.

In the first instance, he slipped in putting out his message of birth control and used a language that could only match the pulp literature of the nineteenth century. His descriptions were almost pornographic, and the message too remained vague. He wanted to tell people that an educated woman can make the right decisions about reproduction and fertility to prevent unwanted childbirth. Instead, he ended up graphically describing common sexual activity. It was unimaginable that a person of his stature should indulge in wayside gossip during a serious debate in the assembly. His slip provided an unexpected opportunity for the BJP. The party took no time to make it a national issue, and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi jumped in to slam his longtime political rival. Kumar’s tantalizing sentences and poor ways of expressing serious suggestions also hurt women's groups. His supporters are disappointed that the historic effort of bringing a caste survey has failed to make the desired political impact. The BJP found a way to distract the people from the issue of caste surveys.

It is important to distinguish between the anger of women groups and the BJP. The women groups sensed a misogyny. This is indeed an exaggeration. It is true that the senior leader placed his points in crude language and had elements of male supremacy at a subconscious level. Yet he could not be blamed for misogyny. All he wanted to put before the public was the simple fact that education contributed to population control. Kumar’s contributions to uplifting the status of women in Bihar cannot be brushed aside. No one should deny that prohibition, reservations in local bodies, and bicycle-to-school-going girls are the steps that have immensely contributed to the improved status of women. It makes a great scene in a feudal state like Bihar where girls go to school on bicycles and attend meetings in panchayats and municipalities to decide issues that have long been considered prohibited zones.

As far as the BJP’s criticism is concerned, it is entirely hypocritical. The shame attributed to Nitish Kumar by leaders, including the Prime Minister, does not make any sense. It is amazing that the Prime Minister does not say anything about the horrifying event in Manipur and refrains from intervening to get justice for the victims of the incident of parading two women naked and subjecting them to all sorts of sexual abuse. And now he does not lose time to denigrate Nitish Kumar with a crude comment that is hardly directed at any person or gender. His hypocrisy could be seen in his silence on the fast of wrestlers at the Jantar Mantar. The entire propaganda machinery became active to exploit the slip of the chief minister. The BJP remained active even after an unqualified apology from the chief minister. The chief minister not only tendered his apology but also criticized his failings. Has anyone heard any BJP or, for that matter, any other leader apologize for such lapses? Even Brajbhushan Singh did not do so, even after a nationwide uproar over the charges that were hurled by the reputed wrestlers of the country.

Only a day after his crude comment concerning birth control, Nitish Kumar made another slip. He attacked Jitanram Manjhi in the House on the latter’s criticism of the caste survey. Manjhi is a former chief minister of Bihar and represents a community that lives a life that is even worse than sub-Saharan African life. Kumar displayed his personal hatred and arrogance. His comments were totally undemocratic. Kumar’s gesture was unacceptable, and no apology can compensate for the harm Kumar has done to the cause of freedom and equality. He has undone his own accomplishments. Kumar took all the positive steps to uplift the community. He went to the extent of supporting Manjhi to become chief minister of the state. He publicly abused his good deeds. It was unthinkable. His slip naturally led to agitation by Manjhi. He is part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). It is quite natural that he, along with his ally, the BJP, will exploit the opportunity Kumar has offered him.

Was Nitish Kumar’s action political? Was it well-thought? The way things have played out only indicates that they are not political. Kumar failed to draw a line between private and public. In his comments on birth control, he tried to use popular language to explain a serious thing. In the attempt, he only became crude and hurt his reputation. In the other instance, he vented his personal feelings against his former colleague, whom he supported to become chief minister. Here, he failed to anticipate the political implications. Can anyone expect it from a senior leader such as he is?

Kumar’s slips may be inspired by the political environment, where the use of poor language against rivals is common and deliberate. Can it be an excuse for a leader who is considered to be prime ministerial material?