JEDDAH, 26 August 2006 — Bihar, the Indian state rife with abject poverty and virtual lawlessness, has been in the throes of darkness for years despite its proximity to the center and the abundance of natural resources.
The reason: A series of governments that put itself ahead of the people leaving the rich to get richer and the few to rule with impunity. Intrigues, casteism, minority play and banditry plagued the state as it sunk further and further into a position in the Indian polity that saw the state as a backwater of the nation as other states tread the path to prosperity at different pace.
But change is in the air, especially in the past year as the people joined in the new impetus. The vehicle of change is the new Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the coalition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
After 15 years of “Life with Lalu” — Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Lalu Prasad Yadav — the people of Bihar cast the ballot for change as they swept aside the current Indian Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi’s RJD; they had enough of Lalu’s sound bites and decided to bite the bullet and give the NDA’s perennial chief minister-in-waiting Nitish a chance to call the shots.
Divisive politics that had rent the state asunder was evident in the latest assembly elections but the people displayed their mind with a clear mandate to 54-year-old Nitish.
Already the law-and-order situation is being addressed and development plans are being put in place. Nitish has done this by blending his secular ideology with pragmatic politics. Dubbed “The Chanakya” — the wily minister of Chandraguta era — the no-nonsense chief minister, known for his hawkish views on job reservations for the OBCs and Dalit Muslims, is carrying out a delicate balancing act to keep the votaries of both Mandal and Mandir happy. He has stuck to his promise of being a people’s chief minister by introducing two novel ways of meeting people and finding out their problems and issues.
A “gup-shup (talk) durbar” on the lines of village “durbar,” where people are free to exchange their views and ideas on issues of common concern has been set up. The cross-section of the society is free to attend the sittings.
His other novel plan is rather direct. He will be talking directly to the common men over dedicated phone lines in order to know their opinions on the execution of various developmental projects.
His secretariat is busy preparing a telephone directory that will have names and telephone numbers of people at villages and panchayats (village judicial system). The two-pronged measures have been devised to know the mood of the people and the direction they want their state to traverse.
Nitish, who graduated from Bihar College of Engineering, Patna, was involved in the JP Movement between 1974 and 77. He was first elected to the Bihar Assembly in 1985. He has been rated as the most popular chief minister in the country in an opinion poll conducted by CNN-IBN and Center for Studies of Developing Societies on Aug.12. However, making Bihar a prosperous and model state is not going to be easy. But developmental activities and corrective measures are gaining momentum and if he and NDA sustain this pace, then Bihar will soon become a state to look at in terms of fast-paced development, improved law-and- order as well as modern infrastructures.
The signs of change are already visible on the law and order front. Criminals are on the run and people have started venturing out at night. The rule of law is taking hold in this otherwise lawless state.
Arab News talked to Nitish Kumar about his plans and priorities in an exclusive interview.
Q: Do you have a road map ready for the development of Bihar?
A: We are working it out. My government is committed to making life better for people of Bihar, particularly those living below the poverty line. We have ensured 100 days employment to the unemployed so that nobody starves. Efforts are being made to make India “a developed nation” by 2020, but I assure you that Bihar will be able to attain that status by 2015. In the industrial sector, the government has already come out with its New Industrial Policy, and various departments have also issued matching notifications. The government had received 116 proposals and has approved 25 of them. These proposals would yield investment of about 9,000 crore rupees. Soon, instead of people from Bihar going outside in search of livelihood, many from outside will come here to work.
Q: You are making a lot of announcements and promises. But in reality how many of them are going to be implemented, if so, when?
A: This is the biggest personal challenge of my career and indeed my life to put Bihar back on track and to fulfill my promises. Whatever programs and projects are being announced, I assure you, all of them will be realized soon. I will not go back to the voters asking for their votes again if I fail to deliver on my electoral promises. I have already fulfilled several of my poll promises like giving 50 percent reservation to women in the panchayati raj institutions. We also gave 20 percent reservation for the EBCs, 16 percent for the SCs and one percent for STs in the three-tier panchayati raj system.
Q: Bihar reels under darkness due to power shortage. There is lack of drinking water and the conditions of roads are deplorable. How do you plan to improve these conditions?
A: The government has restructured the Bihar State Electricity Board. The Barauni and Kanti thermal power plants have been given to NTPC to be modernized. Plans are afoot to augment power availability in the state by setting up a power project in Kaimur that will produce over 2,500 MW of power. If that happens, Bihar, currently a net buyer of power, will be in a position to sell power to the eastern grid. Provisions are also being made to reduce the loss of power in transmission and also to minimize theft. I admit most of the villages still do not have metal roads and the conditions of highways are pathetic. I have urged the central government to allocate more funds for maintenance of national highways in the state and also sought the central government’s cooperation for expeditious concurrence to the state road projects under the Planning Commission’s special package for Bihar. We are going to spend 2,000 crore rupees on road infrastructure.
Q: Talking about law and order, do you think that you would be able to make a difference? Apparently, there are some 100 organized groups across the state employing about 12,000 hoodlums and almost all of them have political connections. Your party, the Janata Dal (United), also has its share of these groups.
A: I am aware of this. I will say only one thing. The earlier regime protected and promoted some of these groups. My government will not patronize any of them. The law will take its own course and those who violate it will be punished under the law. I’m trying to set up a mechanism in place to speed up trials. Over 30,000 cases pending in different courts for years together have been settled in just about seven months through mobile courts. This remarkable result has been achieved by taking the court itself to the people at their doorstep. Our efforts have started yielding results as in July alone 699 people have been convicted. Out of this 133 got life terms. When criminals realize that justice will be meted out to them, justice proves to be a deterrent. It will also instill a sense of confidence and security in public. But having said that let me add that law and order was at its lowest ebb under the previous government. So, it will certainly take some time to improve it. My efforts are to make Bihar crime-free. The police have been given complete freedom to deal with criminals. We will not interfere with their work even if the subject happens to be a political figure. We want to create a new Bihar by establishing the rule of law and bringing about economic development. I feel happy to tell you that now the rule of law is visible in the state.
Q: One of the reasons for unrest in Bihar is the lack of land reforms and other related measures. What are you doing on this count?
A: Land redistribution is central to the contradictions in Bihar. We are setting up a land reforms commission on the pattern of West Bengal. There is no consolidation and entire families have been ruined trying to pay bribes equivalent to the value of the land to prevent losing it. Bhudan land has been encroached upon. I am going to set it all right. In the midst of all these projects is the absence of any worthwhile administrative machinery. When I walked into my office, all I found was some old typewriters and moth-eaten paper. There was no carbon paper so I wrote my first order by hand and copied it out by hand. I have asked my office to be computerized. Then you will see the results. I will make policies that are equitable.
Q: People say you have reopened cases of Bhagalpur riots just to embarrass your rivals. What do you say?
A: The riot victims did not get justice and we are convinced the cases need revision. No compensation has been given to them. These cases are re-investigated to bring the guilty to justice and punish the officials responsible for their acquittal despite existence of solid evidences against them. The Justice N.N. Singh Commission, which we have constituted, would also examine whether properties were sold under pressure by the victims in the riot-hit areas and, if so, steps will be taken to return such property to the rightful owner and identify those guilty of indulging in strong-arm tactics to take possession of such properties. The commission would suggest a rehabilitation package detailing measures that should be taken for restoration of the lands, houses and other properties, which were forcibly occupied during the riots. The commission, which would independently carry out the probe, would also be asked to submit its recommendations to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future. These are the only reasons and no other motives should be attributed to such sensitive issues.
Q: What else are you doing for the minorities in Bihar?
A: I have done many things for the minorities from the day I have taken over. To name a few, I have reconstituted the state minorities commission to look into their problems thoroughly and suggest corrective measures, to instill a sense of security among Muslims, we have brought in for the first time, a Muslim officer, Afzal Amanullah, as home secretary. I’m happy to say that it was due to the tireless efforts of this upright officer that the law-and-order situation has improved. I have given orders to all the district magistrates and superintendents of police to erect boundary walls around graveyards in their districts to secure them against encroachment. We are going to hire around 10,000 Urdu teachers. I have also created an 25-lakh rupees fund for divorced Muslim women. It is meant for those women who do not get any help from the society.
Q: How do you manage to work with the BJP and other Hindutva forces? Are they happy with your plans vis-à-vis minorities? Are you a mask for reactionary forces like BJP?
A: People who hurl such allegations against me are themselves reactionary. We have our ideological positions and differences. But the BJP and my party, the Janata Dal (U), have worked together for so many years on the basis of a common minimum program. That experience is one of the basic strengths of this alliance. That will remain and reflect in the governance too. Till date, I have not faced any undue pressure from them on any governmental policies let alone the minorities’ issues.
Q: Who is ruling Bihar, Nitish Kumar or a group of influential Bhumihar?
A: Let me tell you one thing, though I’m heading a coalition government with BJP as a partner, I’m still the boss. As far as the notion that a particular community is at the helm of affairs, this is just propaganda. I would, however, like to add that if a person deserves something, he should not be denied his due for the simple reason that he belongs to a particular section of the community.
Q: You promised during elections campaign to wipe out corruption and to punish those involved in financial scams. What have you done up till now?
A: Many cases of financial irregularities are being investigated and some of them are before the judiciary. I will only say that the government will help the movement of these cases in the natural course. It will not interfere with that procedure, either to create impediments or to seek undue haste. And, as and when new cases come to our notice, strict measures will be taken to punish the guilty. I would like to add that the government would not be driven by a persecution urge or vindictiveness. We will see to it that the law is adhered to correctly and fully; nothing more, nothing less.
Q: Education in Bihar is going through a bad phase and needs urgent revamp. What are you doing to improve the education sector in the state?
A: A lot of things are being done to bring the sheen back in Bihar’s education system. Through an act, I have created Vidyalaya Shiksha Samitis in every panchayat. These will have panchayat representatives and the children’s guardians, preferably their mother. I want to see that a teacher goes to school and teaches. We are going to hire around 2,35,000 schoolteachers on various levels. There are many vacancies in colleges and universities too. Among 237 constituent colleges, acting principals is running 185 colleges. About 700 posts of lecturers are lying vacant in nine universities. We are in the process of filling these vacant slots. The government has introduced the system of making private schools available to students who cannot afford to pay. With the Common School System (CSS) approved by the state Cabinet, private schools applying for a Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) accreditation will now have to reserve 25 percent of their seats for poor students.
Steps are being taken to streamline the functioning of ITIs so that 5,000 students are trained each year. A unit of Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) has been started in Patna. The government has also opened Chanakya National Law College. To spread science education among children, the government has already set up “District Science Center” in three districts while work in other districts will start soon.
Q: Is there any plan to tap the resources and investment of NRIs for the development of Bihar?
A: We are planning to organize an NRI meet soon in Patna. The government has directed officials to prepare a report on the potential for NRI investment in areas like agriculture, health, IT and infrastructure. We are working out the strategy to persuade NRIs to make investments in the state.
