Bihar is perhaps the only state this season of election where the issue is development. Election has given an opportunity for an image building of Bihar. Lalu has lost its charm for media reporting. All ringtones relate theNitish’s development.
Even intellectuals agree that Bihar under the Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, is finally on the road to development. Dr Prabhat P. Ghosh, Director of the Patna-based Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), gives the anecdote of his maid-servant, who had a gynaecological problem. “My wife told her I know a good gynaecologist, go and see her. But she told my wife very confidently, ‘No madam, I go to the Patna Medical College Hospital and I get very good treatment.’ For a lower class woman to say this is not a small thing.”
‘India Today’ in its latest report on the state chief ministers of the country writes:
Until a couple of years ago, most Indians looked at Bihar in the way that the world now sees Pakistan— a failed state, where nothing ever works and anything can go wrong. Governance was a sham, the law and order situation was in a shambles and the state Assembly did not even pass a budget for five years and instead opted for the vote on account. And then Nitish Kumar came along. He laid particular emphasis on the health and education sectors, ensured that the allocations for roads were fully utilized to connect the state and cracked the whip on law offenders, not even hesitating to send his own party men to jail for violations.
Kumar might not have a pan-Indian image, but 72 per cent voters in Bihar and 54 per cent in Jharkhand thought Nitish was the best chief minister, his support base cutting across the urban-rural divide and age groups. With 10 per cent of the national vote, just one percentage point behind Dikshit, Nitish occupies third place
The ongoing Opinion Poll of NDTV puts Nitish well ahead with 63 % against Lalu 25% and Paswan %. On all the parameters, be it the government’s performance in development or generating more employment, the opinion is extremely good. Lalu will get restricted to Shahabuddin and Tasleemuddin. Though it is good that Lalu has got ridden of his wife’s wife’s selfish kilns.
After many years, Bihar is getting noticed for good reasons. It has still not been able to attract big investments. Perhaps that may happen soon with the changing perception about Bihar among the business community. Bihar is to go miles and miles to get its glory back. It will be essential in the interest of Bihar that the present alliance keeps on working effectively without abrasion even after all possible provocations from various directions
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