Talking jobs bihar netas delivered a surprise they kept the conversation moored around jobs

Talking jobs bihar netas delivered a surprise they kept the conversation moored around jobs

Polling in 71 Bihar constituencies today comes after a campaign that significantly differed from other elections in recent memory. Instead of getting hijacked by issues peripheral to governance and development like identity politics or more-patriotic-than-thou rhetoric, Bihar’s unemployment woes took centre stage. For a state where caste politics is bread and butter for netas, this is a paradigm shift. More importantly, having raised hopes thus, the next duly elected government mustn’t renege on the tall campaign promises.

Jobs have been talked up by young Tejashwi Yadav, who was written off as an entitled upstart until weeks ago when RJD’s allies differed over projecting him as a CM candidate. But his promise of 10 lakh government jobs has resonated with voters and revived his political stock. Since then BJP has bettered the RJD pitch with a 19 lakh jobs package comprising 15 lakh in the private sector. A war of words ensued: The jabs at RJD asked if the jobs will come from jail, a reference to Lalu Prasad’s chaotic tenure and current incarceration. Tejashwi distinguished between jobs and employment by sardonically remarking that frying pakoras was also “employment” while he was promising government “jobs”.

The public won’t mind this sparring, which is an improvement over Hindu-Muslim or Bihari-Bahari baiting and 2015’s “crackers going off in Pakistan” jibe. The traction jobs received isn’t surprising. RBI data indicates that Bihar’s rural and urban unemployment rate has respectively grown from 15 and 64 per 1,000 population in 2004-05 to 102 and 105 in 2018-19. This is roughly the period that Nitish Kumar dominated Bihar’s affairs, which could explain the current backlash against him. While the jobs in lakhs peddled by both sides grab eyeballs, much work is needed on the ecosystem to create them.

Tejashwi’s government jobs can be funded only through improvement in government revenues, which needs increased consumption expenditure that in turn requires private sector jobs. BJP’s private job creation promise depends upon private investment, quality education, robust infrastructure and rule of law. Admittedly, Nitish could deliver some of the ingredients like roads, electricity and policing in his first two terms. But the incumbent tenure has been disappointing by most accounts. Bihar needs a consensus around next generation economic reforms. But a history of perennial social conflict, statist paternalism and socialist politics clouds this prospect. Junking the mai baap sarkar mentality with its attendant inefficiencies could be a start.