Bihar | On-the-job skilling for Nishant

It took over a month after his entry into the cabinet, even so Nishant Kumar’s first real stab at putting up a positive persona on the public stage didn’t go quite to plan. The 45-year-old Bihar health minister had walked into Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) for a surprise inspection. It was an author-backed script and the dice rolled in its favour: the principal happened to be absent! The moment seemed ripe to confer on the son of former chief minister Nitish Kumar the air of a proactive disciplinarian. The principal got transfer orders and disciplinary proceedings slapped on him.

But what ought to have looked good in the headlines devolved into a genuinely controversial moment in Nishant’s fledgling political career. Dr Narendra Pratap Singh, the allegedly errant principal, came out all guns blazing. He was neither asked to explain his absence nor given an opportunity to present his case, Dr Singh claimed. Moreover, he proclaimed, he had “no faith” in the health minister. Instead of an aura, the episode had delivered an ouch moment. One more in a string of somewhat klutzy episodes this hospital set-piece was supposed to cure.

It’s against this backdrop that the Janata Dal (United) seniors started investing in a kind of political repackaging of Nishant. On his slender shoulders rests the onerous job of emerging as the party’s next messiah, but it has so far been an underwhelming debut for the JD(U) scion. His early public appearances attracted widespread ridicule on social media. Clips of Nishant’s speeches and public interactions travelled rapidly, inviting ridicule for his hesitant delivery, awkward body language and perceived lack of political polish. The challenge of transforming a worthy surname into a political asset, the party realised, was enormous.

Something had to be done—and fast. That’s when they rolled out a systematic makeover plan. Instead of presenting Nishant merely as Nitish’s son, he had to be projected as a minister immersed in administration. The desired visual messaging: less podium politics, more executive responsibility. PMCH, the first scene of that act, may have gone a bit sideways, but that didn’t alter the approach. On July 7, Nishant carried out another surprise hospital inspection in Patna, walking through outpatient departments, interacting with patients and reviewing services.

THE RETREATING SORT

Since joining the Samrat Choudhary cabinet in May, Nishant has not gone forth so much to put himself on the front pages but that reclusive mien is being shed—albeit gradually. Has it begun to change his image? Can the JD(U) convince a sceptical Bihar public? The answer may well determine not only Nishant’s political future but also that of a party preparing for life after Nitish. The JD(U) is leaving little to chance. Giving it time is fair enough. After all, it’s been barely four months since Nishant entered active politics.

Samrat’s government, too, has helped bolster the JD(U)’s efforts. Two days after Nishant was inducted on May 7, it appointed one of Bihar’s most respected IAS officers, Kumar Ravi, as health secretary. Within bureaucratic circles, it was understood that the first-time minister was being furnished with a strong administrative anchor. Ravi was one of Nitish’s trusted officers, and had served in the CM’s secretariat during his tenure. On July 21, Nishant addressed the Bihar Legislative Council for the first time. The two-minute speech mostly stressed on “Pitaji’s” margdarshan (guidance) always being there for him. The remark appears to have reassured party workers to some extent.

THE NITISH VACUUM

Meanwhile, posters projecting Nishant as the inheritor of the Nitish legacy have appeared across Patna. At the JD(U)’s national council meeting in June, seniors described him as the natural successor. It came as no surprise. With Nitish in the Rajya Sabha and withdrawing from the day-to-day theatre of Bihar politics, the JD(U) is in the midst of a most difficult transition. For nearly two decades, the party revolved around Nitish; his governance model, carefully cultivated social coalition and image as a moderate administrator were its greatest assets. That success has created its own dilemma.

Despite commanding 85 MLAs and being an indispensable pillar of the NDA government in Bihar, the JD(U) has struggled to produce a second-rung leader with comparable appeal. Working president Sanjay K. Jha is an influential strategist, but purely at the organisational level. The JD(U)’s two deputy CMs—Vijay Choudhary, 69, and Bijendra Prasad Yadav, 79—too, are seen as experienced administrators. None of them, however, has the kind of statewide pull to hold together the diverse social coalition painstakingly assembled by Nitish. Thus it comes about that hopes are being pinned on a first-time, reluctant politician who’s still learning the grammar of public life.