Patna,(BiharTimes): By backing Nitish Kumar as the prime ministerial candidate RJD chief Lalu Prasad has not only stumped political observers, his rivals and competitors, but even mediapersons who were busy filing stories about the likely opposition the Bihar chief minister may face from the RJD supremo.

After April 19 statement the media pundits are busy interpreting the latest development in different ways.

But politics is like cricket where each ball is played according to the merit.

So Lalu, never a cricketer, but a former BCA boss, played a reverse sweep––though not a copy-book stroke––as the situation demands so.

A man, who till a few years back, was the most ardent supporter of Sonia Gandhi in the ‘secular camp’ and opponents of Nitish Kumar, has by his statement not only supported the Bihar CM’s candidature for the top job, but has in a way tried to stone-wall Rahul Gandhi’s prospect at the time when the latter was showing some sign of maturing.

This is not the first time that Lalu has done so. When in September last the Congress vice president was to visit Champaran to address a rally to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar he refused to share dais. Instead he sent his young son Tejaswi Prasad Yadav to attend it. Later Nitish too opted out.

Perhaps Lalu has not forgotten the stand taken by Rahul in September 2013 when he publicly criticized the then government’s ordinance on convicted politicians. It was just days before the CBI court of Ranchi found Lalu guilty in a fodder scam case and convicted him.

It was only after his conviction and disastrous performance of his party in 2014 Lok Sabha election that Lalu changed his mind and accepted Nitish––though with some reservation initially.

Lalu, who in the mid-1990s, was nursing the ambition to become the prime minister of the country has now resigned to fate. He knows that as a convicted politician he could no more indulge in day dreaming. So if Nitish, according to the BJP leaders, is day-dreaming why not supporting him. He would not only be a suitable candidate against the BJP, but would also checkmate Rahul.

True parliamentary election is three years from now and he can change his stand, yet by his statement he has certainly compelled Rahul to change his approach towards him.

Besides, Nitish’s elevation to national politics would leave Bihar open for his younger son, Tejaswi Prasad, who unlike the elder brother, Tej Pratap, has performed well. In the coming three years Lalu would further groom him.

At the state level RJD is no doubt the strongest party in Bihar. With 80 MLAs it has nine more than JD(U). So Lalu is in much stronger bargaining position vis-à-vis both Nitish and Rahul.

Yet the RJD supremo knows that the caste combination strongly favours the Grand Alliance. So he would never like to harm this calculation as keeping the BJP at bay is essential for his survival too.