From Bihar to Bengal: Dole vs development

Bihar needs a credible development strategy, not fiscally untenable promises. In West Bengal, the question is whether the BJP can storm the fort with higher doles

- ASHOK GULATI BIDISHA CHANDA

THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC Alliance (NDA) surely deserves compliments for their landslide victory in Bihar. Nitish Kumar is all set for a 25-year innings. It is no trivial achievement in India’s extremely competitive politics, and it was refreshing to see the NDA’s attempt to shift the state’s electoral grammar from MY—the old religion-caste binary—to a new formulation of MY: mahila (women) and youth.

But once the celebrations fade, a more fundamental question needs to be asked: How can Bihar climb up the rankings in the states’ economic pyramid? Kumar’s last 20 years have failed to lift it. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi echoed in his Ramnath Goenka Lecture that he believes in “vikas, vikas, aur sirf vikas” If development remains the focus for the next five years, Bihar can witness a notable change.

In the last two decades, Bihar’s baseline has surely changed, with electricity reaching homes, highways stitching districts, and law and order improving somewhat. Building on that foundation, the election manifesto promised familiar things—a boost to micro, small, and medium enterprises, industrial parks, expressways, skill centres, etc., all necessary ingredients if Bihar hopes to move from subsisting to becoming a more resilient and vibrant growth story.