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Bihar Under Transformation
By Indra
June 27, 2008 |
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Saibal
Gupta, member secretary, Asian Development
Research Institute (ADRI), Patna is pretty
optimistic about Bihar and so am I. In a recent
column in Indian Express, Mr. Gupta writes, “The
grammar of politics is changing in Bihar.
Election hereafter cannot be fought on the basis
of the earlier benchmarks of muscle and
firepower. The most under-governed and
underdeveloped state of the country, for the
first time after Independence, is working out
new development architecture. The discourse on
development and its social or political matrix
has changed in the state. The prophets of doom,
quick to write Bihar’s epitaphs earlier, are now
revising their script. Now Nitish Kumar, with
the mandate of the ‘coalition of extremes’ and
with an eye for detail, is using the same state
structures in scripting an inclusive delivery
system. In future, any political party that
wants to make an electoral breakthrough in the
state will have to do some introspection.
Without a cohesive agenda and a cadre-building
exercise, political parties would run the risk
of electoral obsolescence.”
With the news appearing in media, the prediction
of Mr. Gupta seems to be right. However, perhaps
Bihar at grassroots level needs some change in
the mindsets of its people. The incident
connected with cabinet minister Narendra Singh
and legislator Phalguni Yadav or the post
cabinet-reshuffle bickering for the head of
Sushil Modi was the manifestation of the same
old mindset connected with the caste bias. It
can’t come without education and employability.
New institutes such as Chandra Gupta Institute
of management, or Chanakya Law University or for
that matter IIT in Patna will certainly bring
respectability. But Bihar must focus on creating
more and more of its soft power, be it its
school of art, yoga, or its cuisines.
Simultaneously, the existing institutions and
its faculty must work to bring honours through
its research works, so that the students from
all over India hanker for getting entry into
those institutions.
But here is one more story that again appeared
in Indian Express. Can you relish it?
“How is the number of a polling booth related to
the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
headed by Meira Kumar? Well, without it a voter
from the Congress leader’s constituency, Sasaram
in Bihar, cannot hope to meet the minister and
plead for help. Recently a young chap who had
come all the way from Sasaram to Delhi to meet
the minister was flabbergasted when the
minister’s aide asked him the number of the
booth where he casts his vote. “I have never
voted. I am less than 18,” he mumbled. “You
don’t look underage,” observed the aide.
“Anyway, without the booth number you can’t meet
the minister.”
There was a typically Bihar solution to the
whole problem, however. “State any number. Is he
going to check it?” said someone there. Well,
this is one poll booth strategy that may not
work any longer.” (Source:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/326191.html
)
If it is not true, will Meira Kumar say so in
media? I was going to write a letter to her for
two things: I wish Meira Kumar with Mrs Ambika
Soni could get Sasaram a status of heritage
city. Unfortunately, neither she nor her
illustrious father JagJivan Ram did anything for
Sasaram. I also wanted to request her for
getting electricity for my village Pipra (mardan
Rai ka Pipra). Now I dare not write that letter.
I don’t vote there. Can someone help me?
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