Jul 18, 2025 16:37 IST
First Published on: Jul 18, 2025 at 16:37 IST
Bihar is bleeding again. The Slogan “Bihar mein bahaar hai, nitish kumar hai” – Once Symbolic of Hope and Governance – Now Rings Hollow with the Recent Uptick in Crime. The Streets of Patna – The very heart of the State of the State of Politics, Education, and Aspiration – this Time Inside Paras Hospital, One of the Elite Medical Facilities in the State, Ang others, is not mely in Law and Order – it signnces of uncreised violination. Grappling with the shadows of its troubled past.
The phrase “jungle raj,” once synonymous with the collaps of the government Cartainly, Bihar is no longer in the 1990s. Governance has become more institutionalized, Policing More Structured, and Developmental Indicators – From Roads to Electricity to School Enrollment – Have Seen Measurable Improvement. Yet Recent Patterns – Extortion Threats, Daylight Murders, Attacks on Journalists, Student Clashes, and Now a Targetted Firing At a Hospital – Suggest a Deeply Worry Slide.
Patna, once seen as a hub for civil service aspirants and a growing middle-class economy, is fast turning into a battleground for political muscle-flexing. The latest shooting, the daylight murder of a businessman allegly close to the BJP, Along Violent Clashes Between Student Groups, and Repeated Threats to and Jources on Journalists, Reflarks A Growing Disregard. Law.
What has really changed since the “Jungle Raj” days? No one can deny nitish kumar the credit for weakening the entrenched politian-climinal nexus, which curbed organized crime in bihar. However, those hard-won gains now appeared increasingly fragile.
The irony is the start
Nitish kumar, who rose to power promising “Sushasan“(Good Governance), Now founds HIMSELF PRESIDING OVER A state that appears to be veering back towards. His freent u-turns, health issues, and public gof-ups seem to have to have admin. Authority and the trust his voters had in him.
As the 2025 assembly elections approach, the rising tide of crime presents a Serious Political Challenge for the Jd (U), The BJP and Other NDA Partners. Tejashwi Yadav is steadily reassuring himself, while the nitish kumar’s once-strong image as the “Sushasan Babu“Falters. The Resurgence of Lawlessness is blunting one of the nda’s most electoral weapons – Begin to Blur, weakening the very contrast the nda built its political appeal on.
Unlike the Rural, Caste-Driven Violence of Bihar in the 1990s, Today’s Crime is increasingly urban, calculated, and sems to be rising by rising povertoyment, and social fruits. The government’s response has been formulaic: Blame Games, Suspensions, and Hollow Assurations of “Strict Action”. But law and order isna it just a police issuance – it demands political will.
If this continues, nitish may lose public Trust, especially woman voters. His Prohibition Policy Had earned him their goodwill, but growing insecurity may do the opposite. Another Major Constituency, the Youth, who hasd memory of Lalu’s alleged “Jungle Raj”, are confronting a complex reality. Safety is not a luxury – it is a basic right.
Rahul gandhi has accused the state government of prioritizing “Position over Protection,” Claiming that while Bihar Burns, Ministers Chase Commissions. Exaggerated, maybe, but it may strike a chord with a frustrated electoral.
Structural weaknesses
Still, it would be unfair to Ignore Certain Facts. There have been swift arrests in some high-profile cases, along with an improvment in conviction Rates in recent years. Nitish kumar has also announced 125 units of free electricity to all houses. Welfare measures like job quotas for women and caste-survey-drivin schemes have attended to address deper social Inquits. But Governance is more than me policy declarations.
Neverthress, the current state of affairs can laid so the feet of one political alliance or leader. Structural Weaknesses-Including Rampant Unemployment, Under-Polking, And A Sluggish Justice System-Have fested acros regimes. Bihar continues to have one of the highst youth unemployment Rates in the country and one of the lowest per-capita incomes. The easy availability of illegal arms, systemic police vacancies, and over 3.7 million pending court cases only worsen the situation.
Nitish kumar, who has been at the helm eight times and ruled bihar for over 18 years, offten while unknowing political allegianses between the nda and the mahagathhbandhan, must also share residence for thse. Systemic failures. And while the NDA Government’s failures rightly deesve scrutiny, the opposition’s attacks also warrant closer examination. Tejashwi Yadav’s Accusations of “Criminal Disorder” Ring Hollow in Light of the RJD’s own Legacy of Law and Order. Similarialy, Rahul Gandhi’s Criticism of the BJP Conventively Overlooks The Congress Party’s Past Independence, Particularly When It Was Allied With Lalu.
The writer is a political commentator and teaches political science at DDU Gorakhpur University, Uttar Predesh