Political promises multiply, but jobs remain a mirage as Bihar’s youth continue to migrate in search of livelihood.
UNEMPLOYMENT IS CHRONIC and widespread in Bihar, a state that has for decades been plagued by this great social evil — forcing a large number of Biharis to migrate to other states in search of jobs.
Bihar Migrants
Biharis migrate primarily for livelihood due to the lack of economic growth and the consequent shortage of job opportunities in Bihar. This migration is driven by poverty and the desire to earn a living.
Migrants often take up low-paying, labor-intensive jobs in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, domestic work, and security in major urban centers, or work as street vendors and small shopkeepers (selling paan, chaat, etc.).
Common destinations include cities and states such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Tamil Nadu, which attract a large number of migrant workers from Bihar.
The Mahagathbandhan manifesto promises government jobs for every family — dreams on paper?
In the upcoming Bihar state assembly elections (voting on 6th and 11th November, and results on 14th November), both major alliances — the Mahagathbandhan and the NDA — have released their manifestos, making tall promises to end or significantly reduce unemployment in the state if they come to power.
While the main promise (of the 25 promises in the Mahagathbandhan manifesto) is to provide a government job to one member of every family in Bihar, the NDA manifesto’s main promise is to create one crore (10 million) jobs in the state.
But neither manifesto mentions where the huge amount of money required for these grandiose schemes will come from.
NDA leaders unveil their “one crore jobs” pledge — another promise in Bihar’s political race.
Moreover, jobs cannot be created artificially like this. Otherwise, the government might as well give every unemployed Bihari ₹10,000 a month for sweeping streets and rural paths in Bihar.
That would amount to mere doles — an additional, unbearable burden on taxpayers who are already overburdened by various taxes and suffering from the huge rise in prices.
Jobs are created when there is significant economic growth, particularly through rapid industrialization.
Tejashwi Yadav, who has been declared by the Mahagathbandhan as its chief ministerial candidate, has promised to set up many industries in Bihar to create jobs.
But which businessman will invest in a state so disturbed by political and social strife?
Tejashwi Yadav campaigns as Mahagathbandhan’s CM face, vowing to industrialize Bihar.
To this, Tejashwi’s response was that maintaining law and order will be among his top priorities once he becomes Chief Minister. That may be his wishful thinking, but he forgets that a large number of his party members and supporters are lawless people who care two hoots for law and order.
Once he becomes the CM, they will think that, now that their party is in power, they have the right to extort money from the public, loot the public coffers, and indulge in every kind of hooliganism — just as they did during Lalu Yadav’s *jungle raj*.
One is reminded of the TV serial Mungeri Lal ke Haseen Sapne.
One is also reminded of the Pied Piper of Hamelin — to whose tune (which, in this case, are the manifestos of both alliances in Bihar) rats and children (which, in this case, are a large number of gullible Biharis) followed blindly.
Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Bihar’s voters are led by melodies of manifestos.
To my mind, whoever comes to power in Bihar — the NDA or the Mahagathbandhan — the poverty, unemployment, and migration situation in the state will not change. At most, there will be a change in leadership: Tejashwi becoming Chief Minister instead of Nitish Kumar.
This will be like the statement of the slave woman Manthara to Queen Kaikeyi in the Ramcharitmanas (when the question was whether Ram or Bharat would become the next king):
“Koi nrip hoye hamein ka haani
Chedi chhand ka hoib rani”
i.e.
“How does it matter to me who becomes the king?
Will I become a queen instead of remaining a slave?”
Poor Biharis are like Manthara. 
_________
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Markandey Katju
Justice Markandey Katju is former Judge, Supreme Court of India and former Chairman, Press Council of India.
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