Nitish Kumar has the credit to bring in a new culture in Indian politics. Politicians of rival parties do trade charges, yet when they meet in any public platform or in private they do exchange pleasantries, cut jokes and indulge in repartees. 

Even after getting Lal Krishna Advani arrested Lalu Prasad Yadav never hesitated in exchanging banters with him, in Parliament or outside. Many in RJD accuse the saffron party of implicating him in fodder scam. Yet Lalu and BJP leaders never avoided the eye contact with each other. Only a few months back Lalu, while speaking in Lok Sabha, rather jokingly, addressed Sushma Swaraj as “Samdhin” which evoked laughter among members.

And when Lalu’s vehilce met with an accident in Raghopur earlier this year it was none else but Narendra Modi––then busy in campaign––who rang him up to inquire about his health. 
Nitish did not do so.

In contrast he had 17 long years of excellent relationship with the BJP. In this long association he repeatedly showered praise on almost all its leaders, including Narendra Modi––and that too after 2002 communal riots in Gujarat.

Yet by June 12, 2010 Nitish developed such a strong dislike for Narendra Modi that he suddenly cancelled the planned dinner of the BJP bigwigs and later returned Rs five crore donated by the Gujarat government for the Kosi floods.

What is strange is that NaMo and Advani were put up in the state guest house while all the other top BJP leaders, who were here to attend the national executive, stayed at a hotel. How can both happen at the same time?

Nitish gradually started avoiding eye contact with NaMo. According to the media reports during a chief ministers’ meet in New Delhi he did not bother to look towards Modi. 

As if that was not enough he avoided taking his name. It is only recently that he took Modi’s name after a long time. 

A day after the Lok Sabha election results Nitish suddenly resigned. Most political analysts were then of the view that as the chief minister of Bihar he did not want to come face to face with Prime Minister Narendra Modi––though in politics no such thing happens.

His supporters may defend his actions against Narendra Modi. And they have right to do so.

But what appears somewhat befuddling is the way he is maintaining distance from his handpicked chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. He does not share public platform with him. In fact now they hardly meet in private too. Nitish did not invite his own chief minister in the meeting of district office-bearers of the Janata Dal (United) held at his residence a few weeks back. Manjhi was not even requested to join the sit-in on October 20 to press the Centre for granting special status category to Bihar.

A day later Nitish was supposed to inaugurate the 127th birth anniversary of the first chief minister of Bihar Shri Krishna Singh. Manjhi was the chief guest. At the final moment he along with five ministers of Manjhi cabinet and state party chief Bashistha Narayan Singh flew to New Delhi to attend a similar function of Shri Babu. The organizers in Patna were left high and dry. 

Political observers are of the view that as Nitish did not want to share platform with Manjhi he went to the national capital. But the big question is: Can anyone believe that Nitish had no prior information that both he and chief minister have been invited in the same function? 

If he really wanted to skip the programme he should have told the organizers in advance that he would like to attend the Delhi function. Why create such an ugly scene and walk away with so many ministers and state party chief?

It is nothing unusual if NaMo went on to become the prime minister and Manjhi became more assertive than he expected. Such things do happen in politics. Nitish will have to bear up with these developments.