Letters: Nitish Kumar is not secular

Apropos G David Milton's letter "Secularism's triumph" (June 24), Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar severing ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after a 17-year-long association has nothing to do with secularism, but with his ambition for the prime ministerial job after finding a strong contender arriving at the scene. He remained a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government even after the 2002 Gujarat riots, and the chief minister of the Janata Dal (United)-BJP coalition government in Bihar since 2005. The word "secularism" in Indian politics is a disguise for unprincipled politics of opportunism. The "secular" camp always taunted Kumar for associating with the "communal" forces, but as soon as he broke up with the BJP, his credentials were instantly certified by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as "secular". Notably, in May 2009, after his handshake with Narendra Modi at an NDA rally in Ludhiana, Singh had said although Kumar professed secularism, the "handshake with Modi" did lead to doubts in his (Singh's) mind. Kumar had then hit back, saying the prime minister should not behave like the vice-chancellor of the "university of secularism". Rumours are afloat that after pursuing anti-Congress politics all along, the JD(U) might walk into the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance fold. But in that case, Kumar can, in no way, become the prime minister. That might be his reasons for pressing on the formation of a Third Front.

M C Joshi Lucknow

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