A few days after I posted my perspective on Bihar and Nitish Kumar, Tehelka published an opinion piece titled “The most valuable politician in India“.   This write-up is as interesting as it sounds.

The article examined the leading national and state level politicians of current times – less than twenty people in all,  from the PM, Mr. Manmohan Singh, to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, to state bureaucrats such as Omar Abdullah and Narendra Modi. Resulting in a brief paragraph about each individual who was reviewed and analyzed, it describes why each of them matters in Indian politics today, and concluded with naming “perhaps the most valuable politician in India today“.

It’s worth a read – whether you are from India, in India, an expat or just an interested party looking on.

Let me reiterate – it’s really worth a read – for an update and opinion on the contemporary breed of politicians in India who are relevant today, and to learn why the author thinks so.

Allow me to also play spoiler, though (sorry, I simply can’t help it!).  Here’s how the article concludes, and I quote:

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“… Nitish Kumar is perhaps the most valuable politician in India because of his cool approach to crippling problems. Nitish Kumar is almost unbelievable in Bihar, thrashing opponents, making integrity attractive and making some very important policies like the bill on corrupt officers and their assets.

You can sense the relief in large parts of Bihar because of him. New Delhi learns much from him and he is probably the best bet, acceptable to everyone at the moment.”

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“…making integrity attractive…” – don’t you just love that?  Especially when referring to a politician (in any country)!

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Bihar Chief Minister, Mr.Nitish Kumar (in vest) on a visit to IIT Patna in 2010

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As a relatively recent expat in India, I felt I did a fairly cursory examination of the state of Bihar prior to the earlier post I wrote. But even through that, I was constantly amazed at what I was discovering and this inspired me to write about the topic.  What I think the Tehelka article does for me is validate, to a large extent, the findings of a (hope-filled!) newbie in India.

All I can say now is, Go Mr. Kumar, Go!

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