Nitish returns, again

Talk of his national role is premature

There is rarely a dull moment in Indian politics. Nitish Kumar took oath as chief minister of Bihar for the eighth time on Wednesday, a day after resigning from the post. On Tuesday, Mr Kumar and his party, the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), walked away from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and decided to form a new government with the Mahagathbandhan, which includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, and some other smaller parties. Going by the numbers in the Bihar Assembly, the new Nitish Kumar government should not face any problems. However, in today’s political environment, the