Prd 2 b a BIHARI

Laloo's Lathi Raj

Shanker Prasad Tekriwal

Shanker Prasad Tekriwal, Bihar’s former finance minister, on why Bihar needs a third alternative - an alternative to the lathi and trishul politics. Mr. Tekriwal resigned from the Rabri Devi government when several of his own relatives were kidnapped and also due to large scale corruption in all government departments. Since then he has been an independent MLA voicing the concerns of the trading community and warning people against Laloo’s brand of politics.

Shri Laloo Yadav’s lathi rally is just a sign of his own frustration and desperation. And its not surprising why. In the early nineties he began with his first major rally called the Garib (poor) rally, largely attended by half-clad dalits, the downtrodden and poor people. And from Patna’s Gandhi Maidan he gave his clarion call for their social and economic upliftment. He gave this other slogan, “Padho ya maro” (Study or Perish) ... But sadly during his 13-year rule not a single new primary school has been opened. Instead, with much fanfare, he opened 80 charwaha vidyalayas meant mainly for children of cowherds. But today all of the charwaha vidyalayas are also shut. And in the existing primary schools 40,000 teachers posts lie vacant. The result is that even schools within reach of the poor are without teachers. The entire education department is reeling with corruption – from appointments of teachers to examinations. He announced that teachers from government approved madrasas will get pay equal to that of other government school teachers. Even that remains a mere promise. He announced the appointment of 15,000 Urdu teachers in the state but that promise too remains unfulfilled. Schooling in Bihar is anything but education.

In a state where Mahatma Gandhi began his satyagraha, the practice of service latrines continue and night soil is still carried on the head.

Roti, Kapda aur Makaan

The red card scheme for the poorest of the poor remains unimplemented. Deserving families have to grease the palms of government employees to get the cards. The old age pension scheme approved by the Prime Minister is not being implemented. Though there is so much poverty around, the Bihar government failed to select the required number of deserving people with the result that this scheme for a lakh of old persons also failed to reach such people. In recent years about 12 lakh tonnes of free foodgrains or subsidized foodgrains were allotted to the state by the Centre but only 3 lakh tonnes foodgrain could be lifted. During the last floods one lakh tonnes foodgrain was given to Bihar for distribution among the flood victims but only 8,000 tonnes could be lifted. And with so much poverty, clothing is beyond the reach of many ... Talking of housing for the poor, in just one scheme the Indira Awas Yojna, the poor have to pay as much as 3,000 to 4000 rupees as corruption money for the money to be sanctioned and colossal funds from the centre that could build one lakh houses have lapsed. Inspite of available funds to the tune of 135 crores of rupees in 1998 for rural electrification, 70 crores are still lying unspent! Besides, another 50 crores from the centre still remains unspent.

And road conditions in Bihar continue to be among the worst in the country. Good roads are conspicuous by their absence. Of the Rs.150 crores for the Prime Ministers Rural Road Scheme, only Rs.50 crores could be utilised in 2000-2001. And for 2001-2002, 302 crore rupees has been sanctioned long back but even tenders haven’t been finalised yet. And finally, for the years 2002-2003 more than 400 crores were earmarked for the state but due to the sheer lack of work culture no funds could be sanctioned for 2003-2004.

Similarly, for the development of agriculture, the centre sanctioned 4,700 crores under the Micro-mode scheme under which the states contribution will only be 10 per cent. Here too the state failed miserably to utilise the scheme.

Bihar seems to top the country in the number of scams being probed by the CBI, right from the fodder scam, bitumen scam, poshahaar yojna scam, maidha scam, muster roll scam and so on. Since the exposure of the fodder scam, Bihar’s animal husbandry department has become non-functional. And the number of scams being probed by the states own vigilance department are just too many. The state government is virtually being run by the High Court! Provision for drinking water, clearance of drains, removal of encroachments, holding of panchayat elections, giving the panchayats their constitutional powers, payment of salaries to employees and even their promotions are all being done on the orders of the Patna High Court.

Shri Laloo Yadav had said before the 2000 assembly elections that Jharkhand will be created only over his dead body!! But after the elections and when he needed the support of the Congress Party to form a government, he readily accepted bifurcation of the State just to keep himself in power. He knows in his hearts of hearts that once out of power his only place is behind bars due to his personal involvement in corruption.

Since he has done nothing for either the development of the state or for the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden or farmers and labourers and the minorities – he cannot to defend himself against these charges. So now his modus operandi is to hurl accusations against the Centre and the BJP. He believes ‘offence is the best form of defence’.

He is least interested in the welfare of the state. On the contrary his concentration is on the welfare of himself and his wife chief minister Rabri Devi’s family. I have often said that the state has two chief ministers and two treasurers. Laloo Yadav is the defacto chief minister. The lust for money in the family has crossed all limits so much so that even kidnappings for ransom are managed. It is well known in Bihar that both crime and corruption are state sponsored.

And hence this lathi rally. The lathi rally is only to pat the criminals and illiterate people. For the rally both public and private transport were hijacked and that too during Bihar’s marriage season ... many brides and grooms had to postpone their weddings. Some 50 crore rupees rangdaree was collected from businesses and government officials. The message is very clear that he intends to capture power in the next elections with the help of criminals and the bureaucracy.

# Mr. Shanker Prasad Tekriwal, a former Finance Minister in the Bihar government.