Bihar’s people might have been unimpressed by his electoral campaign blitz, but the state’s new lawmakers are still nursing a Narendra Modi hangover.
The first debate in the 16th Bihar Assembly on Monday turned out to be more of an assessment of the Prime Minister – with the BJP members extolling his “virtues” and the Grand Alliance leaders interpreting the state mandate as a message for him to “keep shut” and work for the countrymen – than a meaningful conversation on taking Bihar forward.
The House was scheduled to debate the governor’s address on the policy priorities of the Nitish Kumar government, and the members could have raised issues concerning their constituencies. The only one to do that was the solitary RLSP member, Lallan Paswan, who vigorously flagged the acute drinking water crisis in his Chenari Assembly constituency.
“Women have to travel miles at Chenari, Soli, Chanodih, Daranagar and Rasulpur villages, pitchers on their head, to draw water for drinking from polluted water bodies,” he said, requesting the Speaker to constitute a House committee to probe the problem and make suitable recommendations to the government. “The government is bragging about the growing rate of its GSDP (gross state domestic product). It sounds ridiculous in a state which still has thousands of women travelling miles in the hills and rugged terrains of Chenari in the Kaimur region for water.”
Others chose to analyse the Prime Minister’s conduct, and the message of the Bihar polls.
The new Leader of the Opposition, the BJP’s Prem Kumar, praised the “benevolent” Prime Minister for the special package of
Rs 1.25 lakh crore to Bihar. The PM had given “top priority” to the construction and upkeep of the national highways, Prem
Kumar said, and had opened opportunities for the youth through the “skill development” scheme.
Though he did manage to kick up a storm, many observers felt Prem Kumar’s address lacked the wit and spark of his predecessor, Nand Kishore Yadav, who was seen sitting silently.
