After the re-union between the Bade Bhai and Chote Bhai the big question is: will the kids show the same bond of friendship.

This question is being asked simply because in the last 20 years a whole generation has come up in both the families. They are not aware of the brotherly relationship between the two before the 1994. What they know is that Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad had been the worst enemies all these years. The two brothers may bury the past, but it appears not so easy for the GenNext to forgive and forget. Mind it, it was the first time voters, who exercised their franchise forcefully in favour of Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha election earlier this year.

It is the test of these two leaders to convince their respective families. Lalu certainly has a much larger political family––the RJD-led alliance got 30 per cent votes. Nitish’s party, the Janata Dal (United), got only 15.8 per cent.

So apparently the extended family would comprise 45 per cent of votes, larger than 39 per cent of the BJP-led alliance––the brothers would love to call Sangh Parivar.

The other problem with the family re-union is that no doubt Lalu Yadav has emerged as a Bada Bhai (elder brother), but who would play the role of ‘big brother’?

It is often observed that when the brothers unite after a prolonged estrangement they are in mood of forget and forgive. Nostalgia grips them––the mention of Ram Manohar Lohia, Emergency etc in their speeches are only some examples of bonhomie of yesteryears.

But many analysts feel that the separation between the two was too long and may take a bit more time for the family members to reconcile to the new situation. August 21 is too short a duration.

In the last two decades the families of the two brothers chalked out their own career. They had their own interest and goal to achieve. Now they are being asked to change their gear––and that too so suddenly.
But what will happen if they really succeed? If Ni-La (Nitish-Lalu alliance) prevails upon NaMo or SuMo than the equation may change.

Apparently the Assembly by-polls do not attach too much meaning, but what is at stake now is the leadership quality of Sushil Kumar Modi too. Narendra Modi had already ensured the victory in the Lok Sabha election. He is in power for the last three months. He might not have brought down the prices, nor fulfil all those promises made during the election. But his supporters may argue that it is too early to judge him and should be given more time.

As the two brothers are certainly the two most powerful individuals of Bihar the big question is: whether Sushil Kumar Modi, who too started his politics during the JP movement days, rise to the occasion. As he had worked with the two brothers quite closely he is well aware of their weaknesses. He has his own Parivar, which has always charted a much different line.