Daijiworld Media Network - Patna

Patna, Mar 12: A political war of numbers has erupted in Bihar after Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav accused the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of failing the state despite years of what he termed a “double-engine government”.

In a lengthy social media post on Thursday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader alleged that Bihar continues to rank among the lowest in the country across several development indicators even after decades of NDA rule at the state and central levels.

Tejashwi claimed that Bihar remains the poorest state in the country and records the highest levels of migration, unemployment, crime and corruption. He also alleged that the state has the highest multidimensional poverty levels and performs poorly in key socio-economic indicators.

According to him, Bihar ranks among the lowest in literacy rate, per capita income, farmers’ income, per capita investment, electricity consumption and computer literacy. He further claimed that the state lags behind in quality education, healthcare infrastructure and industrial development.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, rejected the allegations and countered them with its own data. Party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said the current situation should be compared with the period between 1990 and 2005 when the state was governed by Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi.

According to Kumar, poverty in Bihar during that period was above 60 per cent and the literacy rate stood at around 47 per cent. He said the situation began to improve after the NDA government led by Nitish Kumar assumed power in 2005.

Citing data from NITI Aayog, BJP leaders said multidimensional poverty in the state has declined significantly in recent years. According to official figures, the poverty rate dropped from 54.4 per cent in 2005–06 to around 26.59 per cent in 2022–23.

The government claims that nearly 3.77 crore people in Bihar have come out of poverty during this period, the second highest number in the country after Uttar Pradesh.

BJP leaders also highlighted improvements in employment and industrial growth, claiming that about 10 lakh government jobs have been provided and another 10 lakh employment opportunities created. The party further said that more than 3,500 industrial units have been established in the state over the past two decades.

According to the government, Bihar’s exports have grown from around ?25 crore to nearly ?17,000 crore during the same period. It also claimed that the unemployment rate in the state stood at about 3.9 per cent in 2023–24, which it said is lower than the national average.

The debate also extended to law and order. Kumar cited data from the National Crime Records Bureau, claiming that murders in Bihar have declined from over 3,600 cases in 2001 to around 2,500 in recent years.