"Ghar Phoonk Tamasha Dekhana" that is what I’m reminded of on seeing the reaction of CM Bihar on railway budget. Leaders create way out of adversity, where as politicians make mess of things. CM of Bihar seems to be busy politicing evenwhen he has been presented with a historic opportunity to be a real leader and statesman. May better sense prevail upon him! Otherwise, in this proverbial cat fight between two stalwarts of Bihar, monkey will eat away the entire pie. Somehow morale of this childhood story has been lost in this no hold barred duel between the leading lights of Bihar.

On the surface of it, this railway budget does not seem to convey much but same thing can not be said about its subtle intent. Nobody can have any quarrel if some thing good is done for home state by the incumbent minister. And, in fact Kolkata could be and should be the real driver of resurgence of Eastern India. However, for this to happen the city will have to become more cosmopolitan and inclusive and it needs to draw its strength from feeder areas lying primarily in North East, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa. However this message has been somehow lost upon the current prima donna in the theater of Indian Railway. In narrow alleys of her regionalist mindset, Bihar and Jharkhand are not partner in the progress of eastern India but only a colony to be exploited. This has been the bane of Eastern India ever since independence. Perhaps it is time for those who say “what we think today country thinks tomorrow” to relearn. We are certainly missing the great leaders, thinkers and philosophers of yesteryears who used to spread light on eastern horizon.

Current budget could not have been ‘prudently’ any more caustic for Bihar than it is right now. It does so without raising many heckles and hence limiting any adverse reactions. For example, underlying concept behind ‘Durranto’ seems to expressly mock at Bihar as a place which should be less treaded the better. A harsher interpretation could be that colonial masters should not mingle with their subject. It expressly cooks a snook at Bihar & Jharkhand by not giving any of the ‘Durranto’, from Ranchi or Patna. It has not included these states for any medical college or nursing college either, even when these are the precise states where we have acute shortages of such institutes. Though list of 50 world class station is not completely spelt out, howsoever, it has failed to name either Patna or Ranchi in budget speech. Present incumbent minister has perhaps forgotten that these two states are the immediate neighbors and naturally have good size of diaspora of people she is seeking to champion. Being benevolent with these two states would have also served her narrow interest much better.

More ominous are the details emerging from the fine prints of detailed budget document as reported in various news items. Minister has effectively tried to put a lead on the various projects in Bihar by starving them for fund. Moreover, her priorities do not reflect anything which she would like to do for Bihar and Jharkhand in course of her term. She has not even hesitated from rolling back some of the announcements made to the benefit of Bihar in the interim budget.

And here is this chief minister of Bihar celebrating this budget as the best budget for Bihar after he relinquished office as railway minister in year 2004. He seems to portray that only person who is concerned about the well being of Bihar is he himself, and all his political adversaries are enemy of the state. CM Bihar, if you think you can safeguard the interest of Bihar on your own effectively then show your might in securing the things like disaster relief package for Kosi region and Special State Status. Show us expeditious progress on Kosi High Dam, NH four laning, coal linkages for power plants and also on setting up of institutions and national assets in Bihar having economic, strategic and technological significance. Do criticize your adversaries for their failures but acknowledge their contributions to the state. This way you will gain in our esteem even further. RJD chief and LJP chief are no hindrance for development of state as is being made out by you and if anything they have , in fact, made some good contributions to state and to this nation. Stop making spectacle of your running political rivalry with your former, and may be future, comrades in arm, .

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