Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar was in New Delhi last week. Between tea, lunch, and evening snacks, he met at least 10 Opposition leaders. Coming out of each meeting, he affably engaged with the media, advocating ‘Opposition unity’ for the greater good of the nation and practically projecting himself as the person most capable of delivering a critical dose to keep Indian democracy alive.
Veteran of coalition politics
Coalition politics is not alien terrain for Mr. Kumar, who started his political journey in 1977. At the end of the 19-month Emergency, an ideologically disparate group of leaders came together to form the Janata Party. It was a political development fraught with tension, with three prime ministerial hopefuls vying for power. Eventually, the Janata Party, between its two Prime Ministers, Morarji Desai and Charan Singh, survived less than three years.
