Modi’s False Promises to Bihar
Arun Kumar Mishra
MODI's recent visit to Bihar has further proved his loyalty to building the empire of Adani by sacrificing the interest of the common man and inviting ecological disaster. The transferring of more than a thousand acres of land on one rupee lease, is one of the greatest tragedies that awaits the people of Bhagalpur. Adani has been offered this fertile land where 10 lakhs of green mango trees stand, to build a mega coal based power plant, as a gift to the people of Bihar on the eve of assembly election. In doing so, the government in Bihar has been magnanimous in offering lollipops to old people, youths and women scheme workers and those organised under various groups run by NGOs. In the meantime Modiji also visited Purnea that borders West Bengal, Nepal, Bangladesh and as usual harangued against so called intruders from across the neighbouring countries. He also inaugurated the half built Airport of Purnea which was propagated as a longstanding demand of the Purnea people being fulfilled.
As the mechanisms of stealing votes are being exposed on a daily basis, the jittery leadership of the NDA is hell bent on mitigating the situation by high voltage propaganda and harping on the jungle raj of the Lalu regime. The spineless Nitish Kumar has abandoned his so called secular image to keep his throne intact, if the NDA regains the power. Giant hoardings, banners with the faces of Modiji and Nitishji that adorn the capital city and district headquarters announce the dawn of a golden era for the people of Bihar, groaning under severe unemployment, large-scale migration to different states to earn their livelihood, complete breakdown of law and order, daily reports of rapes and honour killings of minors and elderly women, daylight murders and gang wars etc. In its 20 years of rule, the government has completely failed to provide affordable education and health services, rather it has paved the way for complete privatisation of these two vital sectors which have further put an unbearable burden on 80 percent of the population of the state.
Just after the visit of the Prime Minister, agitating aspirants for the police service and students were brutally beaten up. On 15 September, Patna witnessed the massive mobilisation of different sections of working people raising their separate demands and vowing to unseat the present government in the ensuing election. A unique protest by taxi drivers working under Uber and Ola companies took out a big procession of their taxis with CITU flags fluttering on them, from the airport to the designated dharna site, raising the slogan of liberty for drivers. The coming two months are crucial for the people of Bihar to judge the present government through their own life experiences and come forward to unseat the present regime and contribute to the larger interest of saving democracy, the secular republic and upholding the basic tenets of the constitution.
