Bihar: Chaos to Chaos

Bihar has been India's pride. However, it has been frequently in news more for wrong reasons and less for good reasons. Recent decades have witnessed Bihar being swept by a vast array of changes under the RJD regime (1990-2005) which proved instrumental in letting loose chaotic situation all around under the patronage of the state. The change of regime in Bihar in the closing part of 2005 and its returning to power again in 2010 has reportedly brought some semblance of order and economy in regaining its health. However, the present dispensation is too far from fulfilling its promises that reinforces the substantive theme of this book from more chaos to less chaos. The study provides a comparative appraisal of 15 years' regime of RJD and seven years of rule by the JD (U)-BJP-led coalition government in Bihar. This appraisal is facilitated by focussing on political developments, performance of economy from stagnation to resilience, role of the police in maintaining internal law and order, Naxal and Maoist violence, private militias, rampant corruption, caste-based violence, and the cumulative impact of these and other related developments on the people of Bihar. While offering an alternative model of development for Bihar, it takes into consideration the prevalent development model at national level in India and examines the pros and cons of the Gandhian model as well Gross Happiness of the People model as prevalent in Bhutan. The present work will be useful for researchers as well as ordinary readers in understanding contemporary Bihar.