New Delhi, March 9 -- It was the month of March in the year 2000. Nitish Kumar was facing the Assembly leading a 7 day old government. He needed a minimum of 12 legislators to prove his majority on the floor of the house. Had it been today, with 20 independents and 23 Congressmen it would have been a cake walk but those were different times.

At that time in the Legislative assembly Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal with 124 members was the largest force present in the hall. Nitish's Samata Party on the other hand had only 34 seats. He had the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and others with a total tally of 151. This support was the key that drove the governor to ask him to stake claim to the chief minister's post. Sinc...