PATNA, 25 November 2005 — The new chief minister of the state of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, was sworn in yesterday, spurring hopes of a new era for the impoverished region. Tens of thousands of cheering supporters thronged the swearing-in ceremony of the 54-year-old engineer-turned-politician.
“Long live Nitish Kumar,” roared supporters who tossed marigold garlands into the air as the politician was sworn in as chief minister by state governor Buta Singh.
Nitish led an alliance of the right-leaning regional Janata Dal-United party and Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to end regional strongman Laloo Prasad Yadav’s 15-year rule over Bihar.
The politically savvy Nitish, nicknamed “Chanakya” after the wily prime minister of the ancient Magadh empire, vowed to pull Bihar “out of darkness” after the alliance romped to a landslide win in state elections this week.
“This huge gathering shows people have high hopes from the new government,” Rameshwar Singh, a 70-year-old man, said as he gazed at the excited crowd gathered here for the swearing-in.
“I could have watched the swearing-in on TV but this is a historic moment and I wanted to be part of it,” said Rakesh Kumar, a student standing close to the dais where the politicians were seated.
The new chief minister, who made no speech at the ceremony, has a 25-member council of ministers. He has pledged to restore law and order, put the state back on the development path and reduce social tensions.
The bearded politician promised during the campaign his government would “change the face” of Bihar in just three months.
Regional BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi will serve as deputy chief minister. But Nitish is expected to keep a firm check on his Hindu nationalist BJP allies to ensure that the state, which has a large Muslim population, does not becoming a breeding ground for Hindu-Muslim violence.
Lalu Prasad, self-proclaimed defender of the downtrodden, relied on a combination of lower caste and Muslim votes to stay in power and under his rule, Bihar virtually rid itself of its reputation for sectarian riots. But critics also accused Yadav of presiding over a “jungle raj” of criminals.
Analysts said the election results were a vote for good governance and development.
Lalu Prasad, who is federal railways minister and whose party is a key ally of the ruling Congress party-led national coalition, stands accused of embezzling millions of dollars in a corruption case still before the courts.
Nitish warned during his campaign that continued economic neglect would turn Bihar, one of India’s most populous states with 80 million people, into a breeding ground of Maoist rebels and result in a surge in organized crime.
Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is understood to have decided to elect former Chief Minister Rabri Devi as head of its legislature group, paving the way for her to become leader of the opposition in the Assembly.
Rabri Devi, who retained the Raghopur seat for the RJD by a meager margin of 5,000 votes, told reporters that the newly elected party MLAs would meet here today to elect their leader.
Rabri Devi said her party would play the role of a “responsible opposition” and raise issues relating to the poor and the downtrodden.
She alleged that there had been a “deep-rooted conspiracy” to defeat the RJD-led alliance. She did not name the Election Commission but cited large-scale transfer of Dalit, backward class and minority community officials and the highhanded style of the commission’s special observer K.J. Rao to drive home her point regarding the “conspiracy.”
— Additional input from agencies.
