Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his bête noire and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seem to be locked in an 'inauguration' competition before the model code of conduct comes into effect ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar.
From July 1 till now, the Chief Minister has inaugurated close to 140 flyovers; a newly constructed campus of Chandragupt Institute of Management, Patna; a B-school owned by the state government; and a life-size statue of former Prime Minister late Chandra Shekhar.
On Tuesday, he inaugurated the longest flyover in the state, built at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore. The 2.7-km flyover near Patna airport is expected to ease traffic on Bailey Road, the city's lifeline. On Wednesday alone, the Chief Minister inaugurated 295 panchayat bhawans, spread across the state.
Perhaps eager to put his name on foundation stones, Kumar inaugurated 65 partially-constructed buildings. Officials later clarified that the respective district administration had been ordered to complete the construction work and hand over the buildings to the panchayats as soon as possible.
The Chief Minister is slated to inaugurate three more projects before the end of this month, including an incomplete international museum in Patna. One of Kumar's pet projects, the Rs 500 crore museum has been mired in controversy for the last few months.
The Patna High Court objected to the exorbitant cost of construction, given that the city already has a well-equipped museum. The court, however, declined to interfere in the construction of the museum.
In order to counter Kumar's inauguration spree, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has gone on a blitzkrieg of announcements. During his visit to Bihar, the Prime Minister inaugurated the 38-km-long Daniyawan-Biharsharif railway line and the new campus of IIT, Patna, at Bihta. He flagged off work for the first phase of the Jagdishpur-Haldiya gas pipeline project, which he said would usher in an industrial revolution in the state. He also launched the Deen Dayal Upadhyay rural electrification scheme in the poll-bound state.
Besides these, Modi attended the national meet of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, held in Patna for the first time, where he promised a second 'Green Revolution' in the eastern part of the country.
The Prime Minister then flew to Muzaffarpur to address the Parivartan Rally, where he formally launched the BJP's election campaign by announcing a special package. The party's state unit has requested the central leadership to schedule three more rallies in Bihar by Modi ahead of the polls. Party leaders said that during one of his scheduled rallies, the Prime Minister might unveil some features of the special package that was announced in this year's Budget. He was also expected to inaugurate much delayed rail-cum-road bridge projects in Patna and Munger. However land troubles forced the railway ministry to cancel this at the last moment.
The inauguration spree has kick-started a political slugfest between Kumar and Modi in Bihar. Kumar has accused Modi of repackaging existing schemes and offering them as special packages to the state. "He (Modi) launched parts of major projects and a few repackaged projects," Kumar said. "People are watching all this. They will decide which party or combine served them better." The BJP retorted that the Chief Minister was using government money for personal publicity.
The fight to garner maximum publicity by leveraging public money has intensified the 'inauguration' campaign of the two leaders, said political analysts. That the Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] and Rashtriya Janata Dal combine was defeated by the BJP in the recent legislative council elections has made this race more breathless, said a JD(U) leader. "Development will be an important factor this election, if not the decisive one," he said. "These inaugurations are important as they provide hope and a glimpse of the future. Plus, recent events tend to remain fresh in people's minds. The dates are expected to be announced in the next couple of weeks."
However, most of the projects that are being unveiled are ones that had been launched earlier, were delayed, or are incomplete.
For example, the Daniyawan-Biharsharif railway line inaugurated on Saturday, was proposed during the time of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the Centre. By the same token, the state government took six years to construct the panchayat bhawans that were inaugurated by the Chief Minister. The state is yet to construct 8,200 panchayat bhawans. The delay in their construction has cost the state government Rs 300 crore in grants.
The pressure of showing results is the reason behind this race, said political analysts. "It's not unusual. Political parties tend to make announcements and inaugurate schemes and projects to attract voters," said one such analyst. "They (political parties) are running against time. In a matter of weeks most of the MLAs will be mingling with the masses, when they will be asked difficult questions. They will be asked to explain why their poll promises were not kept. So, both the Centre and the state government want to be seen doing things."
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