E-Paper
"People's power is only hope"
Once an advisor to Karpoori Thakur, Ramashray Roy talks about the way ahead for Bihar.
Ramashray Roy, an advisor on development to former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, talks to Saif Shahin about the causes behind Bihar's under-development and the way ahead.
What are the main problems facing Bihar today?
Lack of industrial development is the biggest problem. The whole world is becoming more and more industrialised, as is the rest of India. But Bihar lags behind.
Agriculture can also not be forgotten. Bihar has India's most fertile plains, but agricultural production in less than average. After Jharkhand's separation, Bihar has to depend even more on them.
The reason is absence of infrastructure. Farmers stil depend on rains. Internationally marketable products like mango and leechi are produced in plenty, but there is no system to can and sell them.
How did casteism become such a strong phenomenon in Bihar's politics?
In Bihar, casteism and communalism have held sway from even before Independence. Muslims and Kayasthas were a formidable presence in the Congress until 1920. Thereafter, it was the Brahmins, Rajputs and Bhumihars.
Backwards began to gain in strength after Independence. The process started during chief minister Sri Krishna Sinha's rule itself, and carried on after him. By 1967, after BN Jha's death, the upper castes failed to maintain their hold on the state's politics. With them, the Congress also began losing ground. It had no significant Backward leader, and soon became a non-entity in the state's politics.
But Bihar is not the only state where caste is such a significant political factor. States like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala have also turned to caste politics.
Is caste the only factor responsible for Bihar's backwardness?
No, I don't think so. I think Bihar's backwardness has more to do with lack of innovation and risk-taking ability in its people. Secure zamindari incomes never allowed the growth of entrepreneurship among the only monied class in the state.
Another factor is the factionalism within the Congress. There was hardly an opposition party worth the name in initial days, and so the struggle for power became the struggle for supremacy within the Congress.
Leaders went to the extent of promoting bogus membership to win votes in internal elections. Infighting kept the leaders busy and cut them from the grassroots. That is always dangerous in a democracy, and they soon lost out to the more "grassroots-based" leaders.
Should the Centre also share the blame for Bihar's under-development?
To quite an extent. India is federal only on paper. All planning is run from New Delhi, and the policies the Centre comes up with are not state-specific but for countrywide use.
However, states are not homogenous. They differ in resources and skills, and need independent policies for development. The Centre also controls natural resources, which has particularly hurt states like Bihar.
What is the way ahead?
The way ahead is very difficult. Former chief minster Karpoori Thakur asked me to advise him on Bihar's development way back in 1977. After 10 months, I told him I was sorry, but there was little I could do in the face of bureaucratic lethargy. Things have deteriorated since.
The NGO sector became active some years ago, and they initially promised to make a difference. However, an overwhelming majority of NGOs seem to be fake nowadays, interesting only in making money through funds and not in channellinig them towards development.
People's power is the only hope. I remember in the '60s, after the famine of 1966, the number of tube-wells in Bihar rose from 24,000 to a high 72,000 within three-four years. This was not through a government-sponsored programme, but through people's own determination to improve things for themselves. If this determination can be harnessed and utilised, then Bihar will will prosper.
