Bihar’s constant societal struggles have yielded great philosophical and political innovations since the time of the 

. Bihar strikes the chord of monumental dissent when others conform. In contrast to other states where opposition governments have been overthrown by 

, Bihar is the first state that has ousted a BJP-affiliated administration.

Five days before India celebrated its 75th anniversary of independence, Bihar made a major political change. The 

 giving an excellent news to the opposition. It is nothing less than a political coup that has the potential to alter the political situation in the country.

When it seemed like 2024 was already decided, Bihar’s power transition created more room for opposition politics. The effort to use the 

 card in Bihar was thwarted by the chief minister, 

‘s switch again. He may very well have made it more difficult for the BJP to win an outright majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a result of his actions. It’s terrible news for the BJP because it hasn’t yet proven itself as a viable independent force in Bihar. This shift in Bihar has national relevance that can not be understated, since now BJP doesn’t look invincible.

Bihar’s political shifts are unique to the state. However, Bihar has historically served as a catalyst for national, social, and political transformation. Additionally, there is reason to believe that significant political events in this state at this time could portend change on a larger scale.

From a national standpoint, Nitish’s move is intriguing because Bihar is heavily caste-driven and does not share Uttar Pradesh’s 

 dominance. In Bihar, the Mahagathbandhan could easily defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The results of the elections in Bihar in 2024 would more than balance out the BJP’s gains in Maharashtra.

The only prerequisite is that until then, Nitish and 

 must maintain a semblance of unity and harmony. The Mahagathbandhan may prove to be a reliable coalition for the ensuing two years if the determination to oppose the BJP is strong enough.

According to the 2019 Lok Sabha results, the aggregate vote share of the new seven-party alliance, adds up to over 50%. This combo appears to be powerful. The seven-party coalition in Bihar is therefore a cause of concern for BJP.

Of course, the BJP will use every tactic they can think of to undermine the new coalition. The investigative authorities must already be cleaning up old records that were saved for such a moment.

 can react much more vehemently against the oppressive methods employed by the Centre. After all, Bihar is not Maharashtra. Politics in the opposition will undoubtedly intensify and become more compelling.

This change in power in Bihar has important ramifications. First, the BJP’s expansionist plan has come to a standstill. The ruling party put in extra effort to make India free of the opposition. The plan to topple opposition governments by splintering parties through abusing governmental agencies and financial power may have been derailed.

The BJP has tasted its own medicine, and not long after shattering and devouring the 

 to form the government in Maharashtra. The BJP can now be neutralized; its tactics against opposition governments, parties, and leaders can be defeated, which is a shift.

Moreover, a broad-based coalition government by all opposition parties is a big development. The most powerful alliance of political positions and social groups Bihar has ever seen is the coalition led by the JD(U) and 

. In fact, no state has ever had a state government formed with the support of the entire opposition. This can give national opposition groups new hope to form alliances to oppose the BJP together outside of Bihar, as they have so far remained divided and discouraged. Indian voters have been asking themselves repeatedly “

Who is there to unite and lead the Opposition?

” as they search for an alternative. The 

 and all other parties are at a loss for solutions. The political tremor in Bihar has now shown what appears to be a likely solution while also highlighting the importance of opposition unity in curbing the BJP’s unstoppable advance.

‘s autocratic government, Bihar offered Indian politics a new direction. Nitish Kumar joined the 

 when he was a young student leader, and he was imprisoned for 19 months during the 

 He is now waging war against yet another dictatorial rule. Bihar seems to be offering much-needed hope at a time when democracy and other cherished Constitutional values are being threatened and risk of communal divisiveness is escalating.

There is no doubt that a grand alliance is required, but that will only take place when the political opposition’s senior leaders communicate with one another in a spirit of cooperation and sharing that maximises the good for everybody. However, the alliance won’t last long without a clear understanding on important political matters. Momentary unity for the sole purpose of ousting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will remain susceptible to the money, power, and political scheming of the ruling party, which they have plenty of. The fundamentals of good governance are what need to be converged, not a laundry list of a thousand issues.

The current status of the country demands a democratic revolution rather than politicians fiddling with electoral math. That also entails a change in the way our country thinks, not only in terms of the new governance. A coalition to dethrone the current government is insufficient; rather, we must work together to forge a stunning alternative.

Nitish for PM 2024?

As we’re in the era of fast news, social upheaval, and the need for people to stand up for what they believe in our society, there has been an increase in the number of people who just talk the talk and not walk the walk and this is what can be referred to as performative activism. Performative activism commonly referred to as “

”, occurs when a person or organization posts on social media about a current topic but doesn’t follow through with meaningful actions. In other words, showing online solidarity for personal capital gain and social clout. It’s the notion that simply altering our profile picture or posting on social media with a viral hashtag is enough to convince people that we care about the current events without doing anything beyond that.

While it has been around for decades, ‘

‘ was arguably the pinnacle of performative activism during the 

 was initially launched by music executives 

 to amplify Black voices, stories, and artists. But when 

 rolled around, the feeds were deluged with nothing but black squares. The 

 and #BlackoutTuesday hashtags were filled with roughly 24 million black square posts, completely drowning out the educational and important information about the movement that had been shared previously under the same hashtags. People hastily posted a black square to assure others of their “

” and went about their everyday lives without doing any actual work to support it. By its very nature, slacktivism relies on the simplest and least amount of engagement – a repost, to appease our conscience and feel as though we have accomplished something.

Too often, social issues are taken up by hashtags or shares and become trending topics for a few weeks before dying out. People treat disasters like the 

illegal occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel

 as if they were a fad, sharing one post and then disappearing. Other crises do not receive the same level of attention due to a lack of hashtags and likes. It’s disconcerting to consider how some issues that affect people’s lives and integrity are just part of a trend cycle.

Everyone is expected to be concerned about the hot and trending societal issue, ignoring other, still-unresolved and appalling concerns. But how genuine is someone’s interest in these causes if they only ever share or talk about them on social media?

Most notoriously, celebrities are also not immune to the desire to seek online validation. They weep for a black man’s life lost in 

 while endorsing skin-whitening products in a country with a predominantly dark-skinned population. Talking about hypocrisy, 

 from higher socioeconomic brackets are also not exempted from it. They are quick to speak out on international issues and point fingers at the relevant authorities while turning a blind eye to the atrocious issues in their nation perpetrated by the Indian police force and the Indian government.

It’s indisputable that online activism has a significant role in bringing issues to the foreground that would otherwise go unnoticed. Social media can be used to promote awareness, start dialogues, and persuade others to act. Not to mention how it sparked global outrage by turning Black Lives Matter into a global social movement. However, social networking is not the panacea for all the problems. Sending a link or signing a petition won’t solve all of the issues. It’s important to remember that social media is a tool, not an end in itself. Awareness is a strategy, not a goal. Public support does not always imply private action. In today’s fast-paced world, public support for evolving movements is fleeting and easily forgotten by the next repost.

A field study on slacktivism found that an online campaign that showed engagement from 6.4-million online users only received 30 physical donations. According to a preliminary study, this is likely due to the absence of accountability and repercussions associated with e-pledging. Furthermore, between June and September 2020, support for the BLM movement dropped from 67% to 55%, particularly in white and Hispanic communities, indicating that #blacklivesmatter was merely a phase for many.

But this needs to change, especially in cases of social justice. While spreading information is always valuable, pressing topics deserve action beyond a retweet. Our Instagram story is not going to feed a starving child. To make a difference, we need to ensure our support is continuous and extends beyond social media and not fall victim to performative activism.

Articles by Moneera Aiman

Nitish for PM 2024?

Activism in Modern Age: Effective or Performative?

Nitish for PM 2024?

Activism in Modern Age: Effective or Performative?