According to The Indian Express, Bihar is, in the words of leader Jan Suraaj Prashant Kishor, "practically a failed state," and this state will require significant and focused efforts towards its comprehensive development.
Speaking virtually to the Bihari diaspora after inaugurating the US chapter of Jan Suraaj, the former political strategist expressed confidence in his party's chance of winning the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. Kishor proposed lifting the state's alcohol ban to generate revenue for improving the school education system.
"We have to accept that Bihar is in a poor shape. If Bihar were a country, it would rank as the 11th most populous in the world with passing Japan. The situation here is critical," Kishor said.
Challenges in Bihar
The biggest challenge is that people are losing hope, and he repeated this as his experience that "when a society loses hope, basic survival needs take precedence over everything else." He still is not losing hope regarding the change, though, and does mention that Jan Suraaj has been laying down a foundation for the last two and a half years, but "from it to electoral success and good governance is not a short-term commitment over several years".
Kishor pointed out that even if Jan Suraaj manages to form a government in 2025 and puts in all the hard work, becoming a middle-income state for Bihar by 2029–30 would be a huge milestone. "Bihar, as it stands today, fails on nearly all developmental parameters," he said.
Bihar's developmental challenges and opportunities
Drawing parallels to the struggles in failed states, Kishor said, "The traits of a failed state are very much evident here. Instead of focusing on betterment and education, people are more concerned with managing survival for the day ahead. This is Bihar, and this is the ugly truth that we must face.
Assuring the diaspora that his intention was not to frighten them but to give them an honest assessment, Kishor said he was confident that Jan Suraaj would win the coming elections. "From my experience, it's very clear that we will win," he declared. He would overhaul the school education system if people elected him by exerting the money gotten from lifting alcohol prohibition.
Call for support from the diaspora
He appealed to the diaspora to create enthusiasm among their networks in Bihar by widely supporting the party. He bluntly told the community that so far, their input to Bihar's development has been limited. "Beyond words and exercises, very little has percolated to the grassroots," he said.
Jan Suraaj's performance up to the polls
The Jan Suraaj party, launched with great enthusiasm in October, faced setbacks in recent bypolls, where its candidates failed to make significant inroads. Meanwhile, the ruling NDA coalition emerged victorious, sweeping all four seats.
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