Nitish’s resignation is setback to India’s secular forces

In a stunning turn of events, Nitish Kumar tendered his resignation as the Chief Minister of Bihar. Kumar has submitted his resignation to Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi. The decision to quit was taken by Kumar at a meeting of JDU MLAs on Wednesday evening. The MLAs endorsed his decision. The development has widened the rift between the two parties.

The coalition which stalled the Modi wave in the state last year seems all but dead. Kumar took the unprecedented step after Tejaswi Yadav against whom there are many cases of corruption refused to step down as the Deputy Chief Minister following CBI raids on his properties in the state.  So Kumar resigned saying his conscience didn't allow him to continue. However, far from the immediate circumstances of Kumar's resignation, it is the profound political implications of the development for India that are important. 

With Kumar quitting the alliance with RJD of Lalu Prasad Yadav, the profoundly significant Gathbandhan experiment has fallen through.  And with it the chances of the opposition unity before the all-important 2019 elections.   Kumar was expected to be a lynchpin of the opposition alliance as and when it was formed.   But now with Kumar out of a coalition that had become an inspiration for a likely national secular alliance that is expected to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 is a severe jolt to the hopes of the BJP losing the next election.

Despite being the head of a smaller state level party, Kumar has emerged as the champion of the secular ideological narrative of the country. Congress despite its claim to being India's pre-eminent secular party never posed an ideological challenge to Modi. Neither in Gujarat where the party failed to stop Modi's juggernaut nor when Modi was riding high on his third straight election win in Gujarat Assembly polls, and acquired a national profile which he built on to become the prime minister of the country. But Nitish stood up to Modi, not only as an opposition leader but also a representation of an alternative and an inclusive vision of India. He has since demonstrated  that his vision has a powerful resonance even in Modi's India.

A win for his Grand Alliance in the Bihar elections had a profound significance. The victory arrested the disarray among the secular forces and gave them confidence to stand up to Modi. A win later for the Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal heralded the return of the secular forces in the country and brightened further the chances of a broad secular front against Modi. But the UP and Uttarakhund elections came as a big setback to the temporary secular regeneration.

The landslide BJP victory in the two states brought Hindutva back to the centre stage. And now with a crucial secular coalition falling apart, a united opposition front against Modi before 2019 appears a distant dream. So, every attempt should be made to save not only JD(U)-RJD Ghatbandan but also forge a pan-India secular alliance. This is urgent if the opposition fancies any chance for itself in 2019.

By arrangement with Kashmir Observer