Is this correct!

We have known that politics and politicians can stoop to levels unimaginable to common people if it helps get them political gains. Dirty politics, crime, wrong propaganda, etc go hand in hand with a lot of politicians.

However, should such dirty politics be allowed and should we get influenced by it when the future of an entire state is at stake?

My question comes after I read an article in Times of India "Congress to splash Nitish's links with LK Advani in Bihar poll runup". Congress understands that many Muslim voters would be swayed away from voting for Nitish Kumar if it can link up Nitish Kumar to BJP’s Hindutva platform while he has stayed away from it in his entire tenure as the Chief Minister. The congress party, in an effort to create a base and woo away Muslim voters from voting for Nitish Kumar (and JD (U)) is trying to rake up a link between Nitish and Advani, thereby creating a link between Nitish and the Hindutva platform of BJP.

Many of us see Nitish Kumar as the face of the revival of Bihar. Many of us feel that Nitish is the best bet for taking Bihar forward and it is important for Nitish to be around for at least another 5 years to really put Bihar on the auto growth path that is required by means of bringing investments and industries into Bihar.

Interestingly, many influential people and others have pointed out that what Nitish and the Bihar state government have focused on are improving the law and order situation across Bihar, building roads and improving conditions in cities like Patna while ignoring the rural population. Many amongst us have argued against it by pointing out how more primary healthcare centres are functioning better across major parts of Bihar (delivery of babies have gone up from 4000 to 80,000 per month) or how the government is constructing more schools, appointing more teachers, strengthening the panchayats, providing facilities for panchayats to perform better, empowering the poor women in panchayats, empowering the women, providing money for the poorest sections of society for house building, sanitations, etc.

All of the efforts that we have collectively talked about directly or indirectly affect all sections of the society in Bihar. 

1. Because of better road connectivity, there can be better governance and rule of law can be implemented. The rule of law can now be taken faster to most places in Bihar. This helps in improving the law and order situation and reducing criminal activities in Bihar.
2. Implementing better sanitation, strengthening the panchayat infrastructure, empowering women, empowering the poor women, etc will definitely have a long term effect on the lives of the poor and down trodden.
3. Better Primary health care centers will indirectly help the poor get better medical care which in turn will lead to better lives for everyone

An article by Anil Padmanabhan deputy managing editor of the Mint caught my eye today. His article "Bihar is daring to dream again" talks about an indirect effect of the improvement in law and order and better infrastructure in Bihar. This article talks about how the improvement in the infrastructure has helped take the the benefits of "World Bank sponsored project - Jeevika" to the poorest of the poor in various districts of Bihar.

Quoting verbatim from his article "However, the children have ended up as the unintended beneficiaries of a World Bank-sponsored project, Jeevika, to improve the livelihood of the rural poor. For that, they have the energy and enthusiasm of a progamme worker to thank. The children now have a make-shift school in a space of about 8 feet by 4 feet and a teacher (on a monthly salary of Rs500) and the promise of a permanent roof from a probationary officer of the Indian Administrative Service, Kartikey Budhabhatti. While it is far from ideal, it has at least initiated, at a very rudimentary level, a mainstreaming of the community through capacity building."

Jeevika has managed to setup 17,044 Self help groups and has 196,000 members across eight districts in Bihar - Nalanda, Gaya, Khagaria, Muzaffarpur, Purnia, Madhubani, Madhepura and Supaul—spread over north and south Bihar (some of the poorest districts in Bihar). Significantly it is now proposed to scale up the program to 18 districts. It would not be possible without the improved law and order and better infrastructure to reach out to the people of these districts.

Similarly we know that the Gates Foundation is going all out to reduce the child mortality rate in Bihar by providing emphasis on innovations that effect social and cultural change to bring down the unacceptably high death rates for children less than five years of age in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as detailed in the article "Gates Foundation to go all out to reduce child deaths in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar". I think the Gates foundation can take such a full fledged initiative just because of the improved law and order and better infrastructure in Bihar.

Thus it is clear that the efforts of the current state government have impacted the lives of every Bihari and every Bihari will gain from it in the short term or the long term.

I also know that various efforts and initiatives have been taken for the Maha dalits and Muslims in Bihar. Detractors might call these initiatives politically motivated too keeping the upcoming assembly elections in mind, but the fact remains that efforts and initiatives have been taken for an all round development of Bihar.

I am a very non-political person and do not side with any particular political party but I do side with Bihar's growth and progress and any party that works towards the state's improvement. As such I have seen the Nitish Kumar Government take initiatives and architect the start of Bihar's turn around and therefore I support the work being done by the Government of Bihar. Therefore when I read this article in The Times of India I could not stop myself from writing penning down my thoughts. I do not ask people to blindly follow Nitish Kumar or JD (U). I just want people to be aware and take the right decisions based on their judgment and not get influenced by such political games of political parties like the one planned by Congress.

 

I know there are many Muslims in our group and I would urge them to educate the other Muslims they know, to not get influenced by dirty/incorrect politics of any political party and look at what’s best for their future and what’s proven the best bet for their future in current times. I wouldn't ask you to support Nitish if you don't believe in him but I would definitely ask you not to get influenced by dirty/incorrect political maneuvers of any political part for political gains. If you think what I have said is correct and agree with the main thoughts I have echoed, then I would urge all who read this article to take this view to not only Muslims and but also to all sections of people of Bihar. Many of our Muslim friends who are part of this group would be part of the larger Bihar Anjuman yahoo group (biharanjuman@yahoogroups.com with over 5000 members). If they agree in principle to what I have said, I would ask them to take this message across to the Bihar Anjuman Group and educate the people with what’s best for them for their future development.

Let us all contribute our efforts to build a better Bihar.