Bihar is a big State in terms of number of Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha seats. The result of the by-election for the Assembly, where a small fraction of the Bihari electorate voted, cannot be a referendum on the Modi Government at the Centre. However, if the new Union Government had done something visibly better than its predecessor, its effect would have been felt in these elections. It is, therefore, a message to two leaders at the Centre: the prime minister and the finance minister. Narendra Modis promise of achchhey din perforce includes employment. Indeed, he is known to sanction projects that promise to create more jobs faster. The time he has spent on inaugurating such projects as well as infrastructure works in Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand is pinching Indians from other parts of the country that feel neglected. Nitish Kumars biggest problem is that development, after resuming post-Lalu era, hit a plateau and is struggling to gather pace again. Modi could have seized the opportunity by unleashing PPP projects in Bihar. He did not turn his gaze towards the State in the last three months and paid a price for it. To Arun Jaitley, the message is, stop wasting the nations resources on UPAs pet schemes like MGNREGA and FSA. Socialist welfare schemes will only fetch parties diminishing electoral returns. And they dont make you look different from a JD(U) Government, which you must fight at the local level. Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav -- and the people who have voted their candidates -- have little to rejoice. All political progenies of Lohia and JP are known for their fickle friendships. This bonhomie between the RJD and JD(U) wont last till the Bihar Assembly elections to be held next year. Already, Kumar is smarting from his neglect in all the rallies the two parties jointly conducted.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 07:07:06 +0000
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