'Last 20 yrs were about infra growth, next five will be about prosperity'

Bihar Minister Ashok Chaudhary says there's no anti-incumbency against Nitish Kumar and that the next five years will focus on prosperity after two decades of infrastructure-led growth

There is no anti-incumbency against Nitish Kumar in Bihar, Ashok Chaudhary, state minister for Rural Works Department, told Aditi Phadnis in an interview in Patna. He talks about NDA’s priorities if it comes to power again in the state. Edited excerpts:

 

What is your assessment of the outcome of the assembly polls?

 

We will be between 150 and 160 (out of 243). I have campaigned extensively. I have gathered that people don’t want this government to go. I have not seen any anti-incumbency against Nitish Kumar. If after being chief minister for 20 years, there is no anti-incumbency, he must have done something right. I do agree that in some places the people are upset with the candidate – that he hasn’t come, visited… There are complaints about the connect with people. But about the CM, there are no such complaints.

 

And two or three recent schemes have reinforced the CM’s popularity. For instance, increasing pensions from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100. Electricity up to 125 units is free for all domestic users in the state. Nitishiji said this will help in securing the future of all those who have small children and are engaged in micro-business – fixing punctures, selling vegetables and eggs, doing odd jobs… frequently they don’t earn enough to recharge their smart meters. His motivation was to prevent these children from having to study by the light of lanterns. Everywhere I have gone, this scheme has proved to be very popular. And, of course, the Rs 10,000 to women.

 

And these schemes are caste-neutral. So even Yadavs say that when Nitishji works, he works for all Bihar.

 

Many believe that it will be a close contest and people like Prashant Kishore of Jan Suraaj are waiting for exactly that eventuality…

 

After the Jan suraaj ticket distribution, many of their village and district level workers have left the party. You got the work done by one set of people. But those who got the ticket were a different set of people. So those associated with Jan Suraaj for a long time felt that this was unfair. The confidence that was generated by Prashant Kishor about a clean, fair system of candidate selection didn’t happen.

 

I don't think he will be able to get more than 2 or 2.5 per cent of the votes. At the lower levels, there is no impact.

 

Most people say that what Prashant Kishor is saying is right – even though he might not get their vote. There’s some resonance among people to what he is saying…

 

He started out by talking about education. Pre-1990, this state had two engineering colleges. Nitish ji has opened 38. Bihar has an IIT, BIT, NIIT. There’s an Aryabhatt Institute and so many new educational institutions.

 

We have a big population - 13 or 14 crore people. And the condition in which we inherited Bihar – it had a growth rate of 2.5 per cent.

 

You’re talking about the situation 20 years ago…

 

That is true. But in 20 years, Nitish Kumar has brought the state to 5 per cent and 7 per cent growth. We now have a growth rate of 10.4 per cent, the highest in India. With limited resources and with the pressure of the population you have performed the best.

 

But performing the best in numerical terms is not often the same as performing the best in quality terms…

 

How can you say that? When Nitish ji came to power, 46 per cent people were below the poverty line. That’s almost half the population. Thirty per cent people have been brought up from the poverty line. So, how can you say it is not the best? You have, with limited resources, lifted 30 per cent of the people above the poverty line.

 

This was a state with a Rs 28,000 crore budget. Today it is Rs 318,000 crore budget. This is more than just a number. You talk about inclusive growth. How will you achieve inclusive growth if there is no growth in the first place? You have to work for every part of society. When the CM talks of electricity in every home, he has seen to it that electricity has reached all homes. Earlier there was no water in so many villages. He has developed Bihar through a growth model that is sustainable and inclusive.

 

In 2005 per capita income in Bihar was Rs 7,000. Today, it is Rs 66,000. This is why the people appreciate Nitish ji. The feeling is- this man is trying his level best, despite adverse circumstances.

 

There is a feeling that this fight is not between the Mahagathbandhan and the NDA, it is between the NDA and the NDA. At his Samastipur meeting, the PM signalled that Chirag Paswan should not speak and the sole NDA speaker should be Nitish Kumar…

 

The PM had two meetings and time was short, so he signalled that only Nitish ji should speak because others in the NDA were also on the stage and if everyone started speaking, he would have been delayed for his next meeting.

 

He set up his candidates and it hurt the JDU.

 

If you come to power, what will your priorities be in the new government?

 

We have created an infrastructure in Bihar – earlier there were only four bridges on the Ganga, now there are six and we’re going to build four more.

 

Some of those bridges came down as soon as they were built…

 

None of the bridges on the Ganga has fallen. There were one or two small bridges that had fallen and that too, before we handed them over. There was a problem with engineering alignment and those were corrected. Nitish ji has built lakhs of bridges, big and small, all over Bihar. And we have a policy for maintenance of bridges now. Now travel that used to take 9 to 10 hours takes 4 to 5 hours because of these bridges.

 

Earlier rural connectivity and roads were just 8,000 km. Now it is 118,000 km. These are roads built by the state government under the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana.

 

In agriculture, paddy production has doubled. Maize has gone up two and a half times. We used to get eggs and fish from Andhra Pradesh. We are moving towards self-sufficiency. We also have organic farming corridors. We now have a state minimum support price for wheat. This is procured and sold by the state to distribute among those below the poverty line. The same goes for wheat and pulses.

 

We have also formulated a new industrial policy with incentives including land at Rs 1 for those who provide employment. Many features make it very competitive with other states. In many districts, the government has itself procured land to offer to investors.

 

The last 20 years were years of infrastructure development. The coming five years are going to be about consolidation and economic prosperity.

 

The biggest issue deterring industry is corruption. Will it not hamper investment in the state?

 

We have just invited the Adani group to set up a cement plant. There may be complaints at lower levels. But we’re working apace to change that.