Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly praised his political rival Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Thursday for enforcing prohibition in his state. It is true that there are no permanent enemies or permanent friends in politics. Friendship and enmity in politics change with times, circumstances, and above all, necessities. Nitish Kumar was a political ally of BJP for 17 years. He and Lalu Prasad were sworn political enemies, but circumstances forced Nitish Kumar and Lalu to join hands before the Bihar assembly elections. And, Nitish Kumar was proved right when the results were announced. Similarly, Nitish Kumar avoided Narendra Modi to such an extent that he objected to the BJP using their images together on a poster. He even refused to lunch with Modi in Patna. But times have changed. Nitish Kumar has publicly supported Modi’s demonetization move, and on Thursday, it was Modi’s turn to return the compliment. This was not a question of political nicety. Political pundits have already begun to interpret the meanings behind these gestures.