Historically Speaking: Nitish Kumar’s Bitter Rivalry With Ram Vilas Paswan

Historically Speaking with Dr Aishwarya Pandit Sharma: In this new episode, the guest Sobhana K Nair talks about the rivalry between Ram Vilas Paswan and Nitish Kumar. Nair mentions that the reason that both of them didn’t get along with each other. She pointed out the distinction between the two political leaders. Paswan according to Nair was not sophisticated enough and was far too ambitious while Kumar was a reticent person and only got along with few people.

Nair said, “Nitish Kumar is a reticent person. There is there, I guess, very handful of people
that he really gets along with. I haven’t, in all the years that we’ve seen Nitish Kumar as the chief minister. There aren’t many friends that he has gathered around him, and now with this the problem is both of them disliked each other Nitish Kumar because he believed that, Paswan Ji, was not sort of sophisticated enough and was far too ambitious. And while, Mr. Paswan disliked him for his very sort of standoffish attitude and, occasionally very, very abrasive, very, very straightforward attitude. And as I have described, in the book. Right.
One of the last episode, the last interaction between, Mr. Paswan and Nitish Kumar was also, something which deeply, hurt, Mr. Paswan and left a very sort of deep imprint in on him. And he was a very bitter man. And I talk about his, last Rajya Sabha stint where, despite assurance from BJP, he is forced to go back and knock at Nitish Kumar’s door, for JDU support. And that is just minutes before the final deadline to file the nomination. And it is a very painful episode where he has to go and beg Nitish Kumar. And Nitish Kumar just scoffs at him. Even after Nitish Kumar comes, and JDU’s support and he’s elected, Nitish Kumar makes sure that he goes to the press and make sure that he announces that how he is obliged LJP who had just 2 MLAs in Bihar assembly.”