Bharat Ratna or political exit? JD(U) smells a trap for Nitish Kumar

Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) has made it clear in no uncertain terms that it is opposed to any demands made—even by party insiders— for him to be conferred the Bharat Ratna. While the party ignored or downplayed such demands on earlier occasions, it has now started expressing strong reservation on the issue in public.

So, is Nitish’s influence waning in the party? Why does it not want its national president to get India’s highest civilian award?

On the contrary, the party wants Nitish to continue as the chief minister of Bihar and remain in active politics for as long as possible. The JD(U) is in an uncomfortable alliance with the BJP in Bihar and also at the Centre, and it is well known that the saffron party has its own plans to replace Nitish as soon as it can afford in the chief minister’s chair.

Also read: Shifting power balance in Bihar’s cabinet formation leaves Nitish on weaker footing

And being conferred the Bharat Ratna—as prestigious as it may sound—is as good as being shunted out of active politics for a life in retirement.

Growing demand for Bharat Ratna

Last week, a fresh demand for Nitish to get the Bharat Ratna was made by senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi, who wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to confer the Bharat Ratna on Nitish, whom he described as an “anmol ratna” (precious gem) of the Socialist Movement.

The party, however, was quick to publicly distance itself from it, terming it as his “personal view”. It has so far not hinted at any action against the former MP and former party national spokesperson, who has been a long associate of Nitish, but he has been completely isolated. Tyagi has gone silent after that.

Tyagi was not the first JD(U) leader to demand the Bharat Ratna for Nitish. In 2024, Sanjay Jha, now the working president of the JD(U), demanded it too. So did Chotu Singh, another active party leader, and Lovely Anand, a JD(U)MP from Sheohar and the wife of former MP and once-dreaded strongman Anand Mohan, jailed for the murder of a Dalit IAS.

Also read: Bihar Speaker election triggers power struggle between NDA allies JD(U) and BJP

‘Nitish is still active’

Besides the BJP, NDA allies HAM and LJP(R) were also quick to support Tyagi’s demand for the Bharat Ratna for Nitish. Bihar Assembly Speaker and senior BJP leader Prem Kumar, HAM founder and Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, and LJP(R) chief and Union minister Chirag Paswan publicly backed the Bharat Ratna demand. However, the JD(U) was not happy, reading it as a ruse to remove Nitish from the hot seat.

A senior JD(U) leader said on condition of anonymity: “Nitish-ji abhi active hai, retire nahi hue hai ki unko Bharat Ratan diya jaye. Nitish jee abhi politics mein bane rahenge aage bhi. (Nitish Kumar is still active; he has not retired that he has to be conferred the Bharat Ratna. He will continue in politics in future.)”

Another JD(U) leader said Nitish himself is not happy with the Bharat Ratna demand. “This is a ploy to sideline Nitish-ji in politics and force him into retirement. But the party strongly favours him to continue in politics and lead the party,” he said.

Ploy to remove Nitish?

Several JD(U) leaders and grassroots workers told The Federal that the BJP has been looking for an opportunity to remove Nitish from the top post by creating an image that he should retire from politics. “The BJP will fully take over power politics in Bihar if it can get Nitish to retire,” claimed a party member.

Also read: Hijab-pulling row puts spotlight back on Nitish Kumar’s public conduct, health

A political observer in Patna agreed that it seems Tyagi has been working for the BJP’s cause, and sensing that, the party has sidelined him. Another Bihar-based political analyst, Soroor Ahmad, also believes that a section within the JD(U) might be playing into the hands of theBJP, which wants to sideline Nitish Kumar by conferring upon him the Bharat Ratna, which is usually given posthumously or to retired politicians. “The main agenda is to compel Nitish to retire from politics somehow. But the JD(U) not ready for it right now,” Ahmad said.

Last weekend, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad and chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar made it clear that whatever statement Tyagi has been making is in his personal capacity and the party has nothing to do with it. Bihar minister and the most senior JD(U) leader, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, said though it was Tyagi’s personal view, there was nothing wrong with it but he could not remark on it.

Questions on mental health

Besides the growing demands for Bharat Ratna, a narrative has been gaining ground in Bihar for a while that the 74-year-old Nitish’s mental and physical health are not totally sound. In December, he added fuel to those speculations by unexpectedly pulling at the naqab (hijab) of a young Muslim AYUSH doctor at an official function. Not only did his behaviour draw sharp criticism all round, but it also strengthened the theory that he is not fully fit to govern.

Also read: Nitish Kumar praises Modi in the assembly, prompting MLAs to echo his admiration

JD(U) leaders have vehemently denied such claims though, and continue to assert that he is well, fit, and active, citing his regular visits to various places to launch projects, inspect ongoing works, and chair high-level meetings.

Uneasy equation

However, much as the BJP might want to, it cannot wish Nitish away from Bihar politics as yet. The JD(U) bounced back in last year’s assembly polls, winning 85 of the 243 seats, while the BJP won 89. Though the BJP emerged as the single largest party for the first time, political compulsion forced it to allow Nitish to continue as the chief minister, which he has been since 2005.

But at the same time, the BJP is indeed the “big brother” now, which has been evident from the way the saffron party bagged the most important Home portfolio as well as the post of Assembly Speaker—a first in the 20 years of Nitish’s rule. In all the previous governments, Nitish himself was in command of the Home Department even though the BJP got the Speaker’s post.

Also read: Nitish Kumar retains Civil Aviation as Bihar creates three new departments

Both posts going to the BJP signals a change in power equations in the state. Now the BJP is no longer playing second fiddle as it did for over one and a half decades. According to a senior BJP leader in Bihar, the party got the mandate to lead from the front and to control and run the government. And it is evident that Nitish is not in a position to bargain with the BJP.