How Sushil Modi came to Nitish Kumar's aid time and again

The Bihar chief minister has always been a winner because he has backing of some of senior leaders of BJP

The seemingly trouble-free 17-year-long association between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (United), including seven years in the Bihar state government, wasn’t without its set of ‘cut-throat political games’ between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

Though the two leaders have been in an alliance for the past 17 years, they have known each other since 1973, while fighting against the Congress, led by former prime minister Indira Gandhi. Later, both were jailed due to their opposition to the Emergency in 1975.

“Between Nitish Kumar and Sushil Kumar Modi, the Bihar chief minister has always been a winner because he has the backing of some senior BJP leaders who promoted him, rather than their own member. In March 2000, when Nitish Kumar was made chief minister, his party had only 35 MLAs (members of legislative assembly), while BJP had 65 MLAs. Yet, the BJP leadership chose Kumar as chief minister, rather than have its own chief minister. That was the first setback for Modi in the 17-year-long alliance. At that time, Nitish Kumar was already a minister in the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government,” said a senior BJP leader, who knew both Kumar and Modi.

Kumar’s first chief ministerial stint was short-lived---he had to vacate the seat in seven days, as he was unable to prove his majority in the assembly.

In 2004, Modi suffered another setback because of Nitish Kumar. After the merger of the Janata Dal, the Samata Party and the Lokshakti Party, Modi, then leader of Opposition in the assembly (with the support 55 BJP MLAs), was made to vacate his seat by Nitish Kumar.

“Sushil Kumar Modi had been leader of Opposition and since NDA was already in existence, there was no need for Modi to vacate the seat. Yet, after the merger, the newly formed Janata Dal (United) had 56 MLAs in the assembly and BJP had 55…Nitish Kumar met the Speaker and demanded the leader of Opposition should be from the JD(U),” the BJP leader said. Senior BJP leaders said though Modi had been leader of Opposition since 1996 and some senior JD(U) leaders didn’t favour replacing him in the assembly, Kumar insisted and went ahead with the decision.

“People who have stood by Nitish Kumar have always suffered losses because of his political ambitions. George Fernandes’s ticket was cancelled because of Kumar. Shivanand Tiwari, one of the founding members of JD(U), had to leave the party because of Kumar. He returned to the JD(U) later,” the BJP leader said.

Many in the BJP liken the Modi-Kumar relationship to that between BJP veterans Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani---a relationship in which one of the partners agreed to put his political growth at stake for the sake of the coalition and the relationship. The consensus is Modi lost more.

In November 2005, Modi came to the rescue of Nitish Kumar, after the JD(U) and the BJP won the assembly elections, defeating Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal. “While the late Digvijay Singh and George Fernandes were mulling over a possible chief minister and the BJP, too, hadn’t made up its mind, Sushil Kumar Modi announced the name of Nitish Kumar, opposing all senior JD(U) and BJP leaders,” the BJP leader said.