Nitish Kumar's fans at a rally
Nitish Kumar has in the past been credited for introducing good governance in Bihar and stenciling its development. But of late, grave missteps have tripped the Chief Minister.
On Thursday, Mr Kumar did not return from Delhi to Patna for the funerals of four soldiers from his home state who were killed in an ambush by the Pakistani Army on Tuesday in Kashmir, one of the worst losses of life for the Indian army since a truce was signed in 2003.
Bheem Singh, a senior member of his cabinet, said today, "What is so special about the funerals of soldiers?" Within an hour, a spokesperson from the chief minister's party said the party rejected the remarks. The Chief Minister, in Delhi, apologized and said his party deeply regretted the remarks.
But when the bodies of the four soldiers arrived in Patna on a special plane on Wednesday evening, there was not a single minister present to receive them. In keeping with protocol, senior police and administrative officials had been deputed.
The scale of the attack and the mood of the country, his critics argue, called for a show of solidarity and humanity.
They point out that during the Kargil War of 1999, in which at least 20 soldiers from Bihar were killed, then Chief Minister Rabri Devi and her husband, regional powerhouse Lalu Yadav, used to be at the airport to receive the coffins. Lalu would personally visit each affected family to express his condolences and share a cheque of Rs 10 lakh, given as compensation for the lost soldier.
Mr Kumar, who won a second consecutive term as chief minister in 2010, has carefully nurtured the image of "a people's man".
In 2011, just three days after his mother's death, he held his weekly Janata Darbar, a meeting where the public shares its complaints with ministers and him. When asked why he had not re-scheduled the session on account of his family tragedy, he had said, "The service of the common man is the biggest assignment. I can't ignore it."
So it has been hard for his state or his ministers to explain why Mr Kumar has yet to visit the village just an hour away from Patna to meet the devastated families who lost 23 children last month after a poisoned mid-day meal served to them at their school. Mr Kumar has said in his defence that doctors had advised him not to travel because his toe was fractured. His injury did not keep him from attending the Bihar legislature. He did not visit the Patna Medical College, either, where, till two days ago, another 23 children poisoned by the same lunch were being treated.
His party workers complain that his weekly meeting with them at the Janata Dal United or JDU headquarters in Patna has now been relegated to a monthly session. As a result, they say, they are unable to share critical feedback on the problems affecting their districts and villages.
They say it is not a coincidence that corruption has been climbing among administrative officials. Mr Kumar had become famous for ordering drives to locate corrupt officers; their properties, usually paid for with bribes, would be seized by the government and converted into government schools.
The last time that happened, party workers grumble, was at least six months ago.
Though the chief minister continues his Sewa Yatra or "In your Service Tour" across the state, he no longer holds the Janata Darbar where the common man could petition him about issues or officers. Instead, he focuses on meeting bureaucrats to review the implementation of important schemes and reforms.
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