A 20-year trip from 7-day failure to long-term rule
the BJP.There’s a big section in Bihar that feels Nitish’s third and fourth terms weren’t that great. Rumours are doing the rounds about his health. At this juncture Nitish’s decision to move to Rajya Sabha is a reflection of his political maturity.Anyone from the BJP or the JDU, who moves into 1, Ane Marg will take a very long time to match the stature of Nitish Kumar.
After a lot of efforts Nitish was able to bring Bihar out of the ‘jungle raj’. As a journalist I have witnessed the sorry state of roads, decline of institutions and the shabby state of police stations in the state. Once I asked Nitish how he was able to make the turnaround? He replied, I had to deal with the problem at its root.
He said when he came to power for the second time he found the police stations had vehicles but no fuel, people had to bring their own paper to lodge a complaint.After pausing for a moment, Nitish Kumar said what can you expect when the police use outdated vehicles to carry out a raid and people bring their own paper to lodge a complaint? Similarly, untarred roads, potholes and an uncomfortable drive became synonymous with Bihar.Nitish Kumar brought about a change. His cycle scheme gave wings to the girl child. Today women form 35% of the Bihar police force.
There has been a phenomenal change in government offices and schools. A house and tap water for everyone, and electricity connection schemes have started. Some schemes reached fruition, some were not that successful but they acted in unison to bring Bihar out of the morass of bad governance it was in.During this period Nitish made some harsh decisions.
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