What the Opposition got so wrong in Bihar

Manju Devi from Bedaulia village in Bihar’s Vaishali district was talking to me about the state government’s Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana that aimed to give Rs 10,000 to one woman from every family to start a business, when the Mahagathbandhan candidate for her constituency butted in.

“This government will gobble up all your money,” he told the 56-year-old woman, who had not received the money promised by the ruling alliance of the Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“No, brother,” she replied. “About three-fourths of the members in my Jeevika group [women’s self-help group] got it but I did not.”

“This money is a trap,” the Opposition candidate declared, without acknowledging her complaint. “It is a loan that you will have to repay. As soon as we come to power, you will start getting Rs 2,500 every month.”

As the politician walked away, Manju Devi looked at me with confusion. The incongruence between what she was upset about and what the candidate had chosen to focus on was striking. This gap only grew wider as the election campaign picked up in the state. The Mahagathbandhan was never able to present a convincing argument to counter the welfare scheme introduced by the Nitish Kumar government right ahead of the polls.

Describing the money as a...

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