Dole role: Nitish Kumar is banking heavily on freebies to offset the 20-year anti-incumbency
In 2009, Bihar witnessed the worst floods in its history as the Kosi barrage in Kushaha breached, affecting almost nine districts and a population of around 50 lakh. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched a massive relief effort — setting up mega camps giving flood victims food, clothes, blankets, medicines and even cattle feed for their cows, One quintal of rice was given to each victim’s family — it earned him the sobriquet of ‘Quintal Wala Baba’. A year later, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept the polls in all nine districts, leaving Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) stunned. The baseline is that when Nitish Kumar gives doles, he knows how to use it to his political advantage. Immediately after assuming power, Nitish gave free cycles to school-going girls, earning the appreciation of women in Bihar.
In the run-up to the Assembly polls on November 6 and 11, the 74-year-old Janata Dal (United) strongman has taken dole politics to another high as he faces the toughest electoral battle of his political career. The nine-time CM, whose first stint lasted merely a week in March 2000, has remained at the helm of the Bihar government for almost two decades. He has deftly managed flip-flops in alliances with the BJP-led NDA as well as the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. The 20 years of anti-incumbency, charges of corruption against ministers, the law and order situation taking a dive — all these factors will come into play.
In June, Nitish hiked social pension from Rs 400 a month to Rs 1,100 to over one crore people — the elderly, widows and physically disabled — putting a burden of Rs 921 crore on the state exchequer. In July, he announced free electricity of 125 units to all 1.69 crore consumer households. The decision will hike the state power subsidy to almost Rs 16,000 crore per year. The subsidy came with recorded messages in mobile phones and letters reminding voters of the economic benefits.
About 16 lakh Shram Card holders were given Rs 5,000 each for uniforms and around two lakh unemployed youths got their first instalment of Rs 1,000 as unemployment benefit. Nitish has also paid Vikas Mitras — a 9,600-strong force working for the benefit of Dalits in rural areas— Rs 25,000 for the purchase of tablets and mobiles. He also gave Rs 10,000 each for purchase of mobiles to Shiksha Sevaks — 26,000 individuals working for education among Dalits and backward castes in rural areas, He hiked the honorarium of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers, Jeevika and Anganwadi workers. In political circles, all the beneficiaries are called “paid workers” of JD (U).
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi transferred Rs 7,500 crore to 75 lakh women in Bihar — Rs 10,000 each under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana. It is a state-sponsored programme but unlike previous years, Nitish Kumar wanted to give credit to the Prime Minister so the launch was delayed for a week and PM Narendra Modi said the women of Bihar had two brothers — he and Nitish Kumar — who would ensure their financial and social security. The state government plans to add another 25 lakh to the list. There is a promise of giving Rs 2 lakh each for starting their own entrepreneurship.
It has led to heartburn within the Opposition, with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav claiming that Nitish is stealing his Mai-Bahan Yojana — a promise of Rs 2,500 every month to each woman if he is elected to power.
Women, first-time voters
In the final voters’ list issued by the Election Commission, there are around 7.42 crore voters, of which around 3.5 crore are women and 14 lakh are first-time voters, The Opposition has questioned the EC’s transparency as to how over 3.4 lakh voters were removed at the last moment and who are the 25 lakh voters added. Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav did undertake a 15-day ‘Vote Chori Yatra’ alleging that minorities have been targeted. However, there has been no mass movement against omission from the voters’ list, not even in the Seemanchal area, which has a large Muslim population. “Had there been a massive omission of genuine voters, people would have hit the streets,” said BJP MLA Gyanendra Singh Gyanu, claiming that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by the Election Commission was a non-issue.
Incidentally, PM Modi did try to take on the joint strength of Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad in the 2015 Assembly polls by announcing a Rs 1.25 lakh crore economic package to Bihar. The BJP still lost the polls badly. In Bihar, caste plays an important role and so do women. Nitish has taken care of his caste base — women, Dalits and Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs). The doles have eased the resentment, say NDA leaders, while acknowledging the tough battle ahead of them.
Besides Rs 2,500 per month for women, the RJD and the Congress are promising free education for all, enactment of a new law to prevent atrocities against the EBCs, reservation for them in government contracts and other economic benefits. Tejashwi has also promised to enact a law to ensure that each family in the state has a government job. There are around 3.5 crore families in Bihar, and the Opposition is mocking Tejashwi, saying either he is fooling people or himself.
Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party has promised the end of mass migration of labourers from Bihar, improving the quality of education, ending prohibition —which is costing the state exchequer Rs 5,000 crore every year — and creating jobs.
The parties are yet to come out with their election manifestos, but political circles are abuzz about a lot more financial doles being offered to voters.
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