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'Please Move Around Patna In The Night And See How Safe You Are' (Interview with Nitish Kumar)

'Please Move Around Patna In The Night And See How Safe You Are' (Interview with Nitish Kumar)

Author:
Publication: Outlook
Date: May 5, 2008
URL: http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20080505&fname=Nitish+Kumar+%28F%29&sid=2

Despite a tightly-packed day addressing public complaints, dealing with the bureaucracy and handling his newly expanded cabinet, the Bihar CM found time for Outlook...

Ever since he assumed the reins of power in Patna, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has grown significantly in political stature and national importance. That hasn't affected his easy, laidback style, though. Despite a tightly-packed day addressing public complaints, dealing with the bureaucracy and handling his newly expanded cabinet, the Bihar CM found time for Outlook at his Anne Marg residence. Excerpts:

Q.: People say you are too bureaucratic compared to Laloo...
A.: (Laughs) You should not listen to such people. I would say I am making the bureaucrats come before the public and address their problems. If they fail to attend my janata durbar, there is disciplinary action against them.

Q.: You and Laloo Yadav co-scripted the Mandal strategy jointly in Bihar. But he became the Mandal hero...
A.: People have seen through Laloo. He used words very effectively and took advantage of the polarisation in society which he sharpened further. But ask the people what steps I've taken for the empowerment of most backward castes and the backward section among minorities...

Q.: Your critics accuse you of playing into the hands of Bhumihars.
A.: You are joking. You know my politics. I don't want any one community to be a hate figure. We are including everyone, excluding no one. The old way of looking at Bihar must change.

Q.: You're talking about development. But power in Bihar is retained through social coalitions...
A.: I would not be in politics without my social coalition. Laloo Yadav used it, and clever oratory, to pit castes against each other, community against community. That has ended. Everyone welcomes an attempt to make the government work after years of chaos.

Q.: The fast-track courts you have set up have sent many dons to jail, but some of them like Prabhunath Singh are still MPs of your party...
A.: I'm no one's friend or enemy. The law will take its course in every case. I follow a raj dharma. You have come here for the first time after I came to power. Please move around Patna in the night and see how safe you are.

Q.: Your cabinet expansion has created a furore. Deputy CM Sushil Modi's stature is said to have diminished...
A.: No one's stature has diminished. Some people talk rubbish.

Q.: Everyone here is talking about Sushil Modi. But nationally many BJP leaders and workers see Narendra Modi as the future leader...
A.: We do not interfere in the internal matters of the BJP. We have an alliance with them in Bihar on specific issues; all the contentious issues are excluded from our programme. We don't have an alliance in Gujarat. Hamare yahaan to Sushil Modi hai (we have Sushil Modi).

Q.: Some economists say that state governments have more funds today because the UPA's revenue collection is better?
A.: Economic growth took place because of NDA-initiated policies. All the growth will be nullified by the UPA government. I'm not just talking about food. Look at the rising prices of construction materials. It's not just Bihar, on the verge of taking off, that will face problems. Even developed states will be ruined. The entire country will pay the price of the UPA government's mismanagement.


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