Bihar largesse

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget-day sari — adorned with a Madhubani art motif — left no room for doubt about Bihar’s central place in the Union Government’s scheme of things. Indeed, the FM announced a slew of proposals for the state that goes to the polls later this year — a Makhana board to boost the production, processing, value addition and marketing of foxnuts; financial support for the western Koshi canal project; and a National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship & Management. No wonder Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving CM of Bihar, lavished praise on PM Narendra Modi and Sitharaman for giving special treatment to his state. All-powerful in the Lok Sabha for a decade, the BJP is now dependent on Nitish’s Janata Dal (United) and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP for the survival of its government. The saffron party tactically chose Bihar over Andhra in the 2025-26 Budget — next year, it might be the other way round.

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Opposition-ruled states have every reason to be disappointed by the Budget proposals. AAP-helmed Punjab, the hub of the farmers’ agitation — first against the three Central laws and now in support of the demand for legalising MSP — has been left to fend for itself. Ironically, instead of announcing a loan waiver, the Centre has raised the Kisan Credit Card loan limit. This will only worsen farmers’ indebtedness. Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh has been ignored as well, while the budgetary allocation for Jammu & Kashmir has been bafflingly reduced.

It seems that the PM’s oft-quoted slogan, “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”, has fallen prey to political considerations. The grand dream of becoming a developed nation by 2047 will remain just that — a dream — if the Centre continues to adopt a pick-and-choose policy.