The article originally appeared on http://naukarshahi.in on May 28,2013
As Nitish Kumar completes the first half of his second term, it is relevant to
cross-verify his claims of good governance. Amid reports of burgeoning
resentments it becomes inenvitable to do a reality check. Everyone do agree,
that few examples of crowd pummelling his caravan and tumultuousness by
contractual teachers are not enough reason to declare his government a failed one.
Moreover, a government
which enjoys the historical mandate through a free and fair democratic process
must not be screwed only on the backdrop of some libul. Health, Education,
Agriculture, Electricity, Law & Order, Employment and Roads &
Transport are the most fundamental sectors that are required to be argued ahead
of showering encomium or flak a government. But above all, it is all about
mindset and the most shocking is that his priorities have changed. He is a
changed man now. He is encircled into opportunistic political rhetoric.
A Statesman of different
attitude
When Nitish took oath
for the first time in 2005, he was in no hurry make a fuss. There was no
flutter. Even the official residence of Chief Minster, 1 Anne Marg, continued
to adorn the outgoing Chief Minister, Rabri Devi more than two months after he
was sworn in. People started to wonder what, if any, were the changes. Nitish
Kumar went to work with practically the same bureaucratic and executive team as
his predecessor. Sure there were reshuffles later on but the pace was
unremarkable.
Once He Was Burning
Midnight Oil
In 2005-06, Nitish started
off by conducting long meetings with the senior bureaucrats that routinely went
on till late nights. The bureaucracy was rattled a bit but not too much
thinking that the initial enthusiasm will soon run out of steam. They were,
however, in for a rude shock. Nitish was digging his heels for a long seize,
not a guerrilla war. Assiduously he went to work to put the state back on
track, bit by bit. His passion, dedication and frowardness became talk of the
town.
Gradually, the
difference vanished and resemblance(to every next politician) surfaced on the
scene. The Seva Yatra,
which theoretically meant to bring the government to the last man, fails
drastically in its mission. The chief minister has no mechanism to reach or
recall the complaints he gets during his yatras.
Once he gets complaints and forwarded to respective officers he never bother to
follow them. Therefore the very sense of his yatras evaporated.
Failing to understand
the public mood, the chief minister had to face the wrath of public from
the very first day of his Adhikar
Yatra(a state-wide tour to address 'Adhikar Sammelan' to press for special
category status to Bihar), a Nitish brainchild. He got eggs, slippers and black
flags with demonstrating crowd everywhere he went, be it Betiah followed by
Begusarai or Khagaria.
Notwithstanding the
initial demonstration, the CM continues and beefed up his security cover which
goes against him and media made mockery of him when reports of increasing the
radius of the D-area(area in front of the dais) squeezes in.
The Page-1 Minister
The initial persistence
has lost somewhere. The CM has been engaged to meeting foreign delegates,
laying foundation stones and attending private functions. When one goes through
the CM engagement data for the year 2012 alone, it is shocking. He was busy almost
everyday for such purposes, followed by media and however there is unannounced ‘reserverd’ space at page-1 at every next print every next day.
During the last couple
of years there has been a rising trend to invite the CM in personal
engagements. This symbol of social status is swelling rapidly and found highest
among patronizing sychophants, may they be media persons, businessmen or party
workers.
This 22nd March, when this statesman of
different calibre carcades 15 km. to inaugurate a private vehicle showroom on
the outskirt of Patna amid full media glare, people got the wrong message. A
person with whom an entire administrative machinary go around with, are not
supposed to do private engagements on the expense of state coffer. Capital city
of Patna had to take the pain of this, as entire moment on
Patna-Bakhtiyarpur/NH-30(both side traffic, as there is no divider) has to stop
for about an hour to make his way. This may alone he attended 8 marriage
ceremony, visits with all his security cover protocol and neither of which was
of his relatives.
The Janta Durbar – The Initial Day
Showering in deluge of
encomium with the quick redressal of grievances in Janta Durbar, Nitish kumar crossed new milestones.
Every Monday morning, he along with his key ministers and top bureaucrats meets
complainants who approach him. This chanakya of his era changed this complaint
redressal mechanism from ‘Janta Durbar of Chief Minister’ to ‘Chief Minister in Janta Durbar’
and made headlines in every next print and this help him craft new epitome.
In 2007, to ease the
tracking of complain an innovative dynamic website http://bpgrs.in was launched. But the updation was
poor and the complain status always shown as pending. Another website for the
purpose http://www.jkdmm.in met
the same fate and always bounce its visitor with a static response saying invalid details.
Notwithstanding her mother demise a bereaved Nitish appeared in the Janta Ke Darbar on January 2nd,2011 that
hits the headline.
Amit
Sinha is a Research Journalist. He is available at facebook.
