NDA's Bihar manifesto focuses on youth, farmers and women empowerment

The ruling alliance's Bihar manifesto pledges 10 million jobs, cash support for farmers, aid for EBCs, and new welfare schemes for women ahead of the Assembly polls

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the ruling formation in Bihar, on Friday released its manifesto for the state’s Assembly polls in Patna with promises seeking to consolidate its support base among women and the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), and reached out to the state’s youth and farmers.

 

The manifesto has promised to create government jobs and other employment opportunities -- 10 million in all -- for the state’s youth. It said an NDA government in Bihar would “top up” by an additional ₹3,000 the ₹6,000 the state’s 8.7 million farmers receive annually from the Centre under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, and promised minimum support prices (MSPs) for maize, paddy, wheat, and pulses.

 

 

Bihar’s population is one of the youngest in India, with an estimated 58 per cent of its 127 million people under 25, according to a NITI Aayog projection in 2023. As much as 88 per cent of the state’s population lives in rural areas, and 49.6 per cent of Bihar’s working population is employed in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, with 26 per cent in services, 18.4 per cent in construction, and 5.7 per cent in manufacturing.

 

In his address to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) polling-booth workers in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 23 had urged them to talk to Bihar’s youth about the “jungle raj”, or lawlessness, which had allegedly prevailed in the state before 2005.

 

The NDA’s strategists have felt it important to remind millions of young people in Bihar, many of whom are unhappy with the lack of opportunities in the state, of the “jungle raj” -- people who were not born then or were too young to have any recollection of the days before the BJP-Janata Dal United (JDU) formed the government in October 2005.

 

In its EBC outreach, the NDA has promised that it would provide financial assistance of ₹10 lakh to various professional groups belonging to the category.

 

It has promised to set up a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to study the socioeconomic conditions of the EBCs. The EBCs comprise 112 castes and 36 per cent of the state’s population, and have been a crucial support base of the NDA, especially of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

 

The manifesto has promised ₹200,000 to women entrepreneurs. This is in addition to the ₹10,000 already deposited in the accounts of 11 million women in the state.

 

The Rashtriya Janata Dal-led INDIA bloc in Bihar, the rival formation, has made a sustained outreach to the state’s youth by proposing to create at least 15 million jobs, and promising one government job to each household in the state.

 

There are an estimated 27.6 million households in Bihar, according to its caste survey of 2023.

 

The NDA manifesto has promised a ₹4,500 “topup” per annum over the ₹4,500 farmers receive from the Centre for aquaculture. It has also promised to set up a “Bihar milk mission”.

 

For the poor, it talks of 125 units of free power, free medical treatment for up to ₹5 lakh, and five million pucca houses.

 

Other than these, the manifesto has promised metro train services in four cities, international airports in Darbhanga, Purnia, and Bhagalpur, seven expressways, an expanding rail network, 10 industrial parks, free quality education from kindergarten to post-graduation to students of poor families, and a ₹2,000 monthly assistance for students belonging to Scheduled Castes and pursuing higher education. 

 

Other promises include transforming bigger schools in districts with an allocation of ₹5,000 crore, establishing a defence corridor and semiconductor manufacturing parks.

 

“Punaura Dham Janki Mandir”, a Hindu pilgrimage site in Sitamarhi district, which is considered the birthplace of the Ramayan’s Sita, will be named “Sitapuram”.

 

The manifesto was released at a press conference attended by Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, BJP President JP Nadda, Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Chirag Paswan, and leaders of alliance partners.

 

Talking to reporters in Patna, Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said the NDA's manifesto release programme lasted only “26 seconds”, as the leaders were afraid of facing questions from journalists about their 20-year rule. Gehlot said Nitish Kumar was “not allowed” to speak at the release of the manifesto, and wondered whether he was “not in a position” to speak about it.

 

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh said it was an insult to Bihar and Biharis that Nitish Kumar was not allowed to speak.