As Nitish Kumar again jumped ship to switch to the BJP-led NDA and become the CM for a record ninth time, Bihar’s power shift dealt a severe blow to the INDIA alliance which seems to be on the verge of unravelling. The Urdu dailies kept their focus on these dramatic developments, sensing in them a denouement of the Lok Sabha poll battle even before its start. With the Opposition alliance in disarray, some of these dailies reckoned, Bihar’s turn of events could set off a chain reaction in other states, even as the BJP surges ahead unchallenged while looking to pull off a hat-trick.

SALAR

Referring to JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar’s move to dump the Mahagathbandhan and ally with the BJP-led NDA to become the Bihar Chief Minister again, the multi-edition Salar, in its editorial on January 29, points out that the development marked another flip-flop by “Patna’s Sushasan Babu” as Nitish was earlier called for good governance. Nitish has earned a different reputation now, says the editorial, noting that he has repeatedly switched sides to ensure his survival at the helm over the years. “His rivals say Nitish is a cynical political operator who can resort to any manoeuvres without any principles for the sake of power.“

The daily writes that Nitish had harboured the dream of becoming the INDIA alliance’s Prime Ministerial. When it was not fulfilled, he opted for another political somersault to flip back to the NDA fold. “It is another matter that Nitish had earlier said that he would prefer to die rather than aligning with the BJP. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also said that the BJP had shut its door for Nitish forever,” it says, charging that both sides have now joined hands for their “greed of power”.

The editorial states that RJD leader and ex-Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has made his mark amid this turmoil and declared that “the game has just begun” and that the JD(U)will get “finished” this year. “Behind Tejashwi’s claim is the point that the JD(U) has been on a downslide for several years. In the 2020 Assembly polls, the Nitish-led party had slumped to third position for the first time since 2000. In Tejashwi’s view, the JD(U) would be marginalised and get co-opted by the BJP,” the edit says. “Bihar seems poised to reject the politics of self-aggrandisement played by Nitish. The stage seems to be set for young faces to rise and provide leadership to the state.”

SIASAT

Commenting on the rifts in the INDIA bloc, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its editorial on January 25, says that the alliance has run into trouble in West Bengal and Punjab over seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha polls. Upset by the Congress’s unwillingness to accept the seats she proposed, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has ruled out any tie-up with the grand old party, deciding to fight alone in all the seats in her state, the daily notes. “Mamata was offering the Congress its two sitting seats out of 42, while the latter wanted four. The rigid stance of both the parties just for a couple of seats would affect the unity of the bloc besides undermining its objective of taking on the BJP in the polls,” it says. “Making a deal would be in the interest of both the INDIA parties. And their failure to iron out differences would hurt the alliance’s prospects in other states too.”

Following Mamata’s move, the AAP’s Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann also announced that his party would go solo in all the seats in his state. “In Punjab, the situation is more complex since the Congress is the AAP’s principal rival there. Also, the relations between the two parties have always been acrimonious,” the editorial says.

Both the allies should have shown flexibility and sagacity to fulfil the larger objective of the alliance though, the daily states, adding that their inability to hammer out the Punjab deal would damage not only their interest but also that of the INDIA grouping’s prospects. At a time when the BJP is racing ahead in the wake of the Ram Temple’s inauguration, the INDIA bloc has been tottering. Rather than stepping up their challenge to the BJP by reaching out to the people with common candidates and an alternative agenda, the INDIA constituents have remained engaged in their games of one-upmanship, the edit adds.

INQUILAB

In its January 26 editorial headlined “Maharashtra mein bhi bulldozer culture (Bulldozer culture in Maharashtra too)?”, the New Delhi edition of Inquilab writes that in the wake of the January 22 Ayodhya event, several observers have commented that the government has been steering India towards a “Hindu Rashtra”. “This may not be a correct assessment since the country has a Constitution, its constitutional institutions and many who firmly believe in our secular democracy,” it says, underlining that the regime of constitutionalism still defines India notwithstanding the point that “majoritarianism appears to be in the ascendant with the Sangh Parivar calling the shots in the country”.

The daily asks, “The question however remains as to what degree the supremacy of the Constitution would be accepted and what would be the nature and scope of our democracy going forward?” It says such a question is increasingly causing disquiet as agencies mandated to uphold the rule of law, such as police, are often allegedly resorting to “high-handed and partisan” action against a community.

This was reflected in the incidents of Mira Road on the suburbs of Mumbai, the editorial notes. While the police succeeded in curbing riots, it could not pre-empt the eruption of clashes in the area that followed a procession celebrating the Temple with provocative slogans. “Why were the arrests that followed these incidents were one-sided,” the edit asks, adding that subsequently the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation rolled out bulldozers to raze several shops belonging to the minority community. “Are the Maharashtra authorities bent on sending out a message that the state has also adopted the bulldozer culture? If this is the case, it is unfortunate.”