Bihar needs implementation

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led Opposition in Bihar has stolen a march over the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) by being the first to release its election manifesto.

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The document leaves little doubt about whose promises it carries—the large photograph of Tejashwi Yadav, the chief ministerial candidate, dominates its cover. The punchline, “Sampoorna Bihar ka, Sampoorna Parivartan—Tejashwi Pratigya, Tejashwi Pran” (Tejashwi’s pledge, Tejashwi’s vow—for total transformation of Bihar), confirms that this is less a coalition document and more a personal political pitch. Although the Congress is part of the Grand Alliance, the manifesto is unmistakably an RJD production. Its single-point aim seems to be winning the election by any means, even if that means making promises that defy logic, economics, and experience. Of course, exaggeration is no monopoly of any one party. The BJP and its allies have long set the standard for sky-high claims and unfulfilled guarantees. But the RJD’