Bihar elections: Netas can't transcend family's 'Lakshman Rekha'

For a long time, the ‘Biharis’ have been striving to bring development, peace, better law and order situation in the state, but so far without any success. No neutral individual can question the Biharis aspirations and determinations, given the enormous enthusiasm in voting against the then established monarch (Lalu-Rabri rule). In the midst of this decade, there were some improvements we got to see, but it failed to sustain any further. The reason was political ambitions, arrogance and ego. When Lalu’s wife’s government was overthrown from Patna, the people and well wishers of the state had thought that the new regime would scale up Bihar in the field of economy, employment generation, and education and provide security for all. The state was recovering gradually, inspite of slowdown at national as well as global level, Bihar was progressing at the rate of 14 per cent, but after a gap of 5-7 years, things started rewinding and reached to that scratch from where it took the baton. The growth rate slashed to 8 per cent, cases of kidnapping and murders have increased and the government diverted its attention from development to complex and divisive issues of castes, religions, backwards and forwards. India Inc which had shown interest to invest in the state started fleeing due to deteriorating law and order arrangements.   

When Nitish Kumar became the Chief Minister in 2005 for the second time, the bureaucrats and police were granted full power to bring the system in place. The changes were visible across the nation and globe. Appreciations had poured in from international fora for its developmental policy and zero tolerance towards crimes. In order to empower women and extremely backward castes, the government provided reservation in the local bodies. Women started stepping out of the kitchen and actively participate in the decision making process. To raise the number of girls’ enrollment in the school, ‘cycle scheme’ was launched and the figures of registration shot up tremendously.

Since the elections in Bihar are at the corner, all the political parties are working hard to win more cake. Winnability of the candidates has been kept as the main criteria for tickets distribution, no matter what or who comes in. Parties have competed with each other in awarding tickets to alleged criminals and goons. Nitish Kumar, who was against the dynastic politics, has preferred to embrace Rahul Gandhi and ‘undisputed kings’ of Yadav clan into his fold, i.e. grand alliance, instead of going solo.

Besides this, the son, the daughter, the brother, the son-in-law factors have also played a pertinent role in ticket distribution in this election, scheduled to be held in next month. From family-run-parties like LJP and RJD to self pro-claimed free from dynastic politics party, the BJP, all have allotted its symbol to close relatives. It was more like a kingdom than democracy. Allocating seats to close or distant relatives just because being at the helm of party affairs betrays the very ethos of democratic set up. There are hell lots of deserving individuals, who can bring a change in socio-politico-economic lives of downtrodden and disadvantaged sections of the society, but have been kept out of race.

Everyone would agree on this point that no one is against the politicians’ kin doing politics or contesting election, provided they come through a proper channel. The dedicated party workers are being sidelined for easy entry of netas’ herd of children. When they go in public to seek votes they say we are fighting against the feudal mindsets and betterment of deprived sections. It exposes their hypocrisy that they are promoting the same thing of what they are fighting against.

The voters need to rise above the castes and religious lines to teach the leaders encourage dynastic politics. Else, monarchy is on way and may reach soon. In the name of castes and religions, they are substituting their kin in the political frame, which is setting wrong precedent before the generation to come. People must reject all those candidates who have made entry in to politics through ‘channel-2’ route.