Friend-turned-foe finally does it

Manoj Chaurasia, The Statesman, Kolkata, India Nitish Kumar is no Asian hero.

Foreign embassies did not fall over themselves to get hold of Nitish Kumar's resume either, as was the case with Lalu Prasad, currently Railway Minister in the Union Cabinet under Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

For many, though, Kumar or Munna -- literally, small boy -- to his friends and family, has established himself as the "giant- killer" of Indian politics for his destruction of the well- fortified political citadel of Lalu Prasad in Bihar, the state that sends among the largest number of MPs to the Indian parliament.

Kumar's victory saga runs nearly parallel to that of a historical character. Like the main protagonist of The Spider and the King, the former Union Railway Minister - yes, he too served in that capacity under Atal Behari Vajpayee - never lost patience and continued his fight to rid Bihar of Lalu Prasad's "misrule" till he finally succeeded in the 11th year of his struggle.

He did what most political observers had insisted couldn't be done, his performance in the state elections that led to his being anointed Chief Minister even more remarkable given that not even exit polls predicted Prasad's rout.

Often dubbed the Chanakya of Bihar politics, Kumar's battle with Prasad has all the makings of a Bollywood potboiler. Both emerged as student leaders under the broad national opposition front against Indira Gandhi in the 1970s and began tasting political success in their home state of Bihar in the 1980s and early 1990s.

But in 1994, the friends turned foes and Kumar, along with former Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes and 12 other frontline leaders of the Janata Dal (People's Party) left to float their own political formation.

Six defeats in a row, however, did not deter Kumar as he fought each election with new zeal. He remained resolute even while the Opposition jibed him for being the perpetual "CM-in- waiting".

Now he is the CM-elect. A graduate from the Bihar College of Engineering, Patna, in 1973, Kumar wanted to be an engineer.

He has now been provided a chance to engineer a near-miracle to pull India's most backward state out of the morass.