Budget and Bihar: An Intent to Enhance NDA's Image Ahead of the Assembly Polls

The RJD claims that Bihar has not received anything despite a 'double-engine' for the majority of the last 10 years.

After the denial of special status on Monday, Bihar received a bonanza from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Modi 3.0’s first Budget. Along with Andhra Pradesh, Bihar has received financial assistance and allocations for a slew of projects, so much so that the Opposition has termed it a Pradhan Mantri Sarkar Bachao Budget.

With these announcements, the BJP keeps friend turned foe turned friend again, Nitish Kumar of the JD(U), in good humour. This also positions the NDA in good stead ahead of the state elections due in 2025.

With the BJP falling short of a majority in the 2024 election, it is dependent upon the maverick leaders, Nitish and Naidu, with whom it has shared a love-hate relationship in the past. The JD(U) and the TDP with 12 and 16 MPs respectively, hold this government’s reins in many ways. The Budget indicates the BJP’s acceptance of this new reality.

The Budget announced Rs 26,000 crore towards developing road projects in Bihar. Apart from this, Rs 21,400 crore was allocated towards power projects, including setting up a new 2,400 MW power plant at Pirpainti. New airports, medical colleges, and sports infrastructure will also be constructed in Bihar. Another Rs 11,500 crore was allotted towards irrigation projects to manage the flood-prone areas of Bihar.

The Finance Minister also announced the development of temple corridors for the Vishnupad temple at Gaya and the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya, modelled on the lines of the Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor.

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JD(U) advisor and chief national spokesperson KC Tyagi expressed satisfaction with the budgetary provisions, stating, "We are very happy with what Bihar got" as per The Indian Express. "Let the Opposition cry foul over it. The idea is to ensure the development of Bihar. An annual package of Rs one lakh crore has made a good start for us," he added.

On 22 July, the long-standing demand of Nitish Kumar to grant special status to Bihar was denied by the BJP-led central government. Ramprit Mandal, JD(U) MP, had asked the Finance Ministry if the government had a plan to provide special status to Bihar to promote economic growth and industrialisation.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, an inter-ministerial group report prepared in 2012 was cited to assert that granting special category status to Bihar is not possible. After the denial of special status and before the Budget, JD(U) sources said, "If there is some technical issue, the government must give us a special package for the development of Bihar. We want to make it very clear that we are part of this alliance only because we have been promised special status for Bihar."

The TMC has termed it a "Bihari Budget", accusing the BJP of a partisan approach. Opposition leaders allege announcements are akin to bribes given to JD(U) to keep supporting the government for the next five years. The main opposition party RJD took potshots at Nitish, asking for his resignation. "Nitish Kumar and JD(U) leaders must enjoy the fruits of power at the Centre and continue their drama politics on special status," the RJD said in a post on X.

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The BJP knows Nitish harboured prime ministerial ambitions in the past. He was the founder member of the INDIA bloc and left them to join NDA just three months before the general elections. He is known to have a mind of his own and is branded as ‘Paltu Ram’. Nobody knows when he will carry out his next palti move. So, he needs to be kept content.

Polls are due in the state in October-November 2025. After being in power for more than 15 years, uninterrupted, Nitish is facing anti-incumbency and a decline in popularity because of his flip-flops. The BJP doesn’t have a face to match Tejashwi Yadav’s charisma who is gaining popularity and threatening to dislodge the NDA from power.

The announcements are intended to enhance the NDA government's image in Bihar and bolster Nitish's reputation ahead of the polls, hopefully neutralising the opposition charge against Nitish for his failure to get special status. The RJD has been alleging that Bihar has not received anything despite a double-engine government in the state for the majority of the last 10 years.

The BJP hopes the infrastructure projects will lead to job creation and negate the anger amongst the state’s youth which could otherwise prove costly in elections. The Bodh Gaya corridor will boost tourism and generate a positive atmosphere in the state. The key lies in the swift implementation of these projects.

The BJP has cleared the first milestone with the JD(U) in its relationship, but the next one is the results of the state elections due late this year when the JD(U) and the TDP reevaluate their support to the NDA.

(Amitabh Tiwari is an independent political commentator and can be reached at @politicalbaaba on X [formerly Twitter]. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)

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