AFTER the election result BJP with 74 seats made its intention clear by nominating two of its RSS trained MLA’s as deputy CMs and also grabbed the powerful speaker’s post. The most trusted friend of Nitish Kumar in the  BJP, Sushil Kumar Modi was sent to Rajya Sabha. Now Nitish Kumar is totally dependent on the whims and fancies of BJP top brass in Delhi and Patna to save his post as a chief minister.

As the home department remains with Nitish Kumar BJP leaders have started directly criticising the CM for the deteriorating law and order situation. By raising the hue and cry the BJP wants to grab the home department so that it can exert pressure on the bureaucracy to have its way and make the bureaucracy subservient to its agenda. They have started poaching on the political space of JD(U) and also luring the JD(U) MLAs on its side. They have experimented it in Arunachal Pradesh and they will do the same in Bihar.

The Arunachal Pradesh operation has sent a shock wave inside the JD(U) which got reflected in the recently held national council meeting of JD(U) in  Patna. JD(U) national spokesperson K C Tyagi criticised this act of BJP as an act against coalition dharna and announced that JD(U) will go it alone in West Bengal and Assam Assembly elections. JD(U) also criticized the enactment of “love jihad” in BJP ruled states. But Nitish Kumar has openly come in favour of three agricultural laws and has praised the prime minister for his bold step.

How the push and pull inside the NDA will crystallize in the months to come, will be keenly observed.

LAW AND ORDER SITUATION

There is alarming spurt in criminal incidents of loot, burglary, murder, rape and other such activities all over Bihar. If one goes through the newspapers of Bihar, cases of murder, rape, abduction occupy most of the space. The newly formed government has failed to meet the situation and embroiled in a chessboard game of politics. Expansion of the cabinet has not taken place which has hampered the work of the government and has paralysed the day to day governance.

The two days assembly session saw the newly elected Left legislatures raising their collective voice in favour of ongoing peasants movement in and around Delhi and repealing the three draconian laws. CPI(M), legislative leader Ajay Kumar raised the issue of the pathetic state of purchase of paddy by the government agencies and demanded the immediate intervention of the Bihar government to buy it, providing MSP to the peasants who are forced to sell their produce on abysmally low price. He also raised his voice in support of several issues confronting the common people of Bihar.

Nitish Kumar has become a prisoner of his own making. His recent utterances regarding the political turmoil with the NDA shows that he wants to put up with all the insults and humiliations and remain a titular head.

PEASANT MOVEMENT

There is much debate on why the peasant masses of Bihar are not coming in the street, the way peasants of Punjab, Haryana, West-UP are coming? The peasants' of Bihar gave a befitting reply to the lies being spread by the embedded media as thousands of peasants, men, women, braving biting  cold marched through the heart of Patna , defying all the hurdles put up by the NDA government and converged near Dak Bangla roundabout. The militant mood of the peasants under the banner of state unit of “Kisan Sangharsh Samanway Samiti” forced the police to retreat.  Later a big police force was deployed and they resorted to lathicharge, injuring young, old and women, but the protesters were determined to show their solidarity with the fighting brethren in and around Delhi.

The March turned into a massive meeting addressed amongst others by AIKS president Ashok Dhawale, Atul Anjan, Rajaram Singh, Ashok Singh, Binod Kumar and other leaders of the samiti. Three-member presidium comprising Lalan Chowdhary, Visheshawar Yadav and Ashok Singh presided over the meeting.

A delegation comprising Vinod Kumar, state general secretary of AIKS along with Rambali Yadav, Rajiv Choudhary, Baidnath Singh met the governor and submitted a memorandum.

Addressing the massive militant peasant gathering from all the corners of Bihar, Ashok Dhawale declared that the movement of the peasants of the country will continue till the three draconian agricultural laws are repealed. The false propaganda of the BJP regime has only created more hatred against the government and it has further strengthened the unity of the peasants all over the country. The massive turn out of the peasants in the capital city of Bihar has clearly shown that the movement is not confined to Punjab, Haryana, West UP alone but has acquired the national character. His speech was greeted with thunderous applause and militant slogans.

Kisan sabha Bihar unit has decided to carry out a massive campaign till January 25, and mobilise the peasant masses for militant action in support of the ongoing peasant movement in Delhi. Bihar has carried out all the programmes announced by all India Joint Kisan Struggle Co-ordination Committee.

ATTITUDE OF CPI(ML)

The Bihar election saw the Left parties performing well. The CPI(ML) won 12 out of the 19 seats it contested and emerged as the fourth largest party in the legislature. With the CPI(M) and CPI winning two seats each, the Left as a whole, won 16 seats. With 16 Left legislators in the assembly, the Left can play a major role in shaping the political debate in Bihar by raising the alternative policies on the floor of the house. But the attitude of the CPI(ML) is not helpful in this regard. Both inside and outside the house, it is taking unilateral decisions without consulting other Left parties.

There is a need to fight unitedly on people’s issues both inside and outside the assembly. This requires closer coordination and unity among the Left parties. It is to be hoped that the CPI(ML) will get over from the 'intoxication’ of electoral success and get down to the basic task of uniting with all the Left and democratic forces.