Nitish Kumar drops hints of passing on mantle to Tejashwi

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dropped several hints on Monday (December 12), at a function held in Nalanda, which seemed to suggest that he sees his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD leader, who had been his fierce critic not so long ago, as his “political heir”.

Also, at a meeting of the legislators of the ruling ‘Mahagathbandhan’, the septuagenarian JD(U) supremo hinted that he was looking forward to passing on the mantle to Tejashwi.
“The chief minister pointed towards Tejashwi ji and said he is the leader of the future, under whose leadership the 2025 assembly polls in the state would be fought,” said Mahboob Alam, the legislature party leader of the CPI(ML) Liberation which supports the government from outside, according to another news report in a business daily.

“The chief minister has been saying, for quite a while, that the future belongs to Tejashwi ji and youngsters like him. He had said so yesterday in Nalanda where I, too, was present. He said it again today,” said Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, one of the closest aides of Kumar, who also holds key portfolios in the state cabinet.

At the launch of a dental college in Nalanda on Monday, Nitish seemed to be backing the younger leader to the hilt and encouraging him on. He brought up Tejashwi’s name twice. First, he said that they were doing a lot and if there’s anything left to do in the future, “Tejashwi will keep working and will get it all done”.

Further, he slammed people’s attempts to divide them and he cautioned not to try to create trouble at anyone’s bidding. “We must stay united and work together. There should be no friction,” reiterated the CM. Further, Nitish said he had done whatever he could to take him (Tejashwi) forward, and that he would “take him even further ahead”.

Also read: Smarting over break-up, BJP keen to dent Nitish Kumar’s image

Meanwhile, again at the meeting of MLAs belonging to his coalition on Tuesday, Nitish said that neither is he a Prime Ministerial candidate, nor is he a Chief Ministerial candidate. “My goal is to defeat the BJP”, he proclaimed, adding that “Tejashwi has to be encouraged”.

According to the report in NDTV, many people interpreted Nitish’s comments as a way of declaring Tejashwi as his heir apparent.

The situation has changed dramatically from the time Tejashwi as leader of the Opposition used to taunt Nitish calling him a “tired and spent” force who needs to retire. But now, Tejashwi calls himself “the luckiest person” since has the opportunity to work under the leadership of the “most experienced CM”. Besides the fact that his mother and father have been CMs and leaders of Opposition and because he has been deputy chief minister twice and leader of Opposition once!

Also read: Nitish-Tejashwi can give Bihar what it needs most — an economic overhaul

“Who can be luckier than I?” Tejashwi had asked last month.

This was not the situation when Nitish summarily dropped Yadav as his deputy, and revived his alliance with the BJP in 2017. But after Nitish’s recent dramatic volte face as he dumped the BJP and formed a new government with the RJD and other Opposition parties, both leaders are now singing a completely different tune.