THE ART OF STAYING IN POWER

Correctly sensing the direction of the political wind is Nitish Kumar’s forte, making him a crucial pillar for Modi 3.0

- Amitabh Srivastava

Remember Ellsworth Toohey, the fictional character in The Fountainhead who could win both sides of the debate on "The pen is mightier than the sword"? Well, Nitish Kumar, the man who can spin the chakra of Indian politics on both his hands, is an improvement on Ayn Rand's socialist. He can speak truth to power, as well as the truth of power. His pen writes in invisible ink, and he has no need for a sword-a razor-sharp eye on the main chance suffices. The word 'mercurial' is often applied because of his quicksilver shifts, being the inventor of a grand Opposition alliance one day and the cause of the ruling party's greatest comfort the next day. Or the idea that he tells the temperature accurately. But like the metal, he's not without density and weight, and in fact often sets the temperature merely by his foretelling. And like the planet, he prefers being closest to the Sun. India's political galaxy, as it took a bet on its future with a general election in mid-2024, found its new shape by the gravity of his placement within it. T