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Surendra Kishore recalls Nitish Kumar’s 1977 vow to become Chief Minister and do good work, praising his achievements but noting unmet expectations in Bihar’s political journey
Nitish Kumar had vowed in 1977 to become the chief minister of Bihar and do good work. (PTI Image)
With the Bihar election season underway, memories from the state’s political past are once again coming into discussion. Prominent among them are recollections linked to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, revived this year by veteran journalist and Padma Shri awardee Surendra Kishore.
Kishore, widely respected for his political insights and long association with Bihar’s leadership, recently recounted an incident from the late 1970s that, according to him, defined Nitish Kumar’s determination. He recalls an evening at a well-known coffee house near Patna’s Dak Bungalow Square in 1977, a time when Nitish had just lost the assembly elections.
“We were the only two people sitting together,” Kishore writes in his memoir, “When the discussion came up about the working style of the then Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, I said that the expectations from Karpoori ji were not being fulfilled. On this, Nitish Kumar punched the table and said, ‘Surendra ji, I will definitely become the chief minister one day. But, know this that after becoming the chief minister, I will do good work’. I was surprised to hear that. How will he become the chief minister? I felt that this is just bragging. But it did happen.”
Kishore, who once served as the personal secretary to Jananayak Karpoori Thakur and remained close to Nitish Kumar over the years, interprets this anecdote as proof of Nitish’s unwavering willpower and passion to change Bihar. “Nitish ji had told me in 1977 that he will do ‘good’ work after becoming the chief minister, but he did very good work,” Kishore writes.
Reflecting on nearly two decades of Nitish Kumar’s governance, Kishore assesses that the chief minister “did not only good but very good work during this period and is still doing it.” Yet, he also expresses certain expectations that, in his view, went unfulfilled. “If he had done those things too, then people would have demanded that Nitish be made the Prime Minister. He would not have to become ‘Paltu Ram’ for manipulation. Those two things were – to be ruthless towards all kinds of criminals and Jihadis.”
Kishore also offers glimpses of his personal exchanges with Nitish Kumar, describing him as deeply influenced by the socialist ideologies of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia since his student days. “I used to have long conversations with Nitish ji,” Kishore recalls, adding that when Nitish eventually became Chief Minister, he often referred to Kishore by saying, “Surendra ji is my lawyer without fees”.
For Kishore, supporting Nitish’s efforts was not just professional duty but also personal conviction. “In my view, it was the people of Bihar who had got a good chief minister like Nitish Kumar after a long time. I considered it my duty to give them strength and keep their morale high so that the ‘jungle raj’ does not return,” he said, describing himself as a “big victim of jungle raj”.
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