Page 12 - EW December 2025

Editorial

BIHAR ELECTORATE’S STOCKHOLM SYNDROME of the new genre reformist Jan Suuraj
party led by the highly articulate poll-
ster turned politician Prasant Kishor,
he triumph of the incumbent century of open, uninterrupted mis- which suffered a comprehensive de-
BJP/ JDU coalition in the re- governance and neglect. By continu- feat in the assembly election.
Tcently concluded legislative ously neglecting primary and basic Kishor, a former psephologist, fo-
assembly election of Bihar (pop.130 education while dividing hapless illit- cused his attention solely on economic
million) where this alliance bagged erates on the basis of caste, sub-castes, development and extensively toured
202 of the 243 seats in the assembly, and religion under guise of delivering the state for 36 months for people-
has attracted reams of media com- social justice, Bihar’s wily politicians people meetings. Yet JS failed to win
ment. In particular, the return of JDU symbolized by Nitish Kumar and his a single seat of the 238 contested,
leader Nitish Kumar as chief minister predecessor Lalu Prasad Yadav who with all the party’s candidates losing
of India’s poorest and most under- was chief minister for 15 years (1990- their deposits for failure to win even
developed state on almost all metrics 2005), have reduced the people of 16.6 percent of votes cast. JS/Kishor’s
— poverty, illiteracy, infant mortal- Bihar to such depths of despair that lapse? He led a campaign centred on
ity, longevity — of socio-economic they have developed a Stockholm crucial issues of education and ram-
development, has drawn volumes of syndrome towards their oppressive pant youth unemployment — only 4
analysis and opinion from media and rulers. Now accustomed to deep pain percent of Bihar’s adults are employed
academy pundits. and suffering for fear of worse, they in industry and 30 percent migrate to
Nitish Kumar has continuously are unwilling to risk the possibility of other states to serve as low-wage ca-
governed Bihar for 20 years during change. sual labour.
which despite his acclaimed good gov- Cognitive decline induced by pro- For a society reduced to such
ernance, this benighted state remains longed deprivation of half-decent depths of cognitive decline, and in-
the country’s poorest, most illiterate, primary education and evidenced by ured to stoic acceptance of limitless
most corrupt and lawless. This is less innocent appreciation of pre-poll free- suffering, a massive education reform
an indicator of the chief minister’s bies — certain to come at the cost of and upgradation drive is the only sil-
competence, as it is of the depths of reduced capital expenditure and infla- ver bullet. But tragically, cognitive de-
misery to which the electorate has tion — explains why Bihar’s electorate velopment is required to understand
been reduced during the past half comprehensively rejected the appeal this.

LESSONS FROM MAMDANI PHENOMENON crumbling, road-traffic-choked cit-

ies urgently need to be governed by
empowered municipal corporations
t’s hardly surprising that the No- bour of forcibly trafficked black Afri- headed by directly elected Mayors as
vember election of Indian-origin cans and immigrants from Europe and envisaged by the 74th Constitution
IZohran Kwame Mamdani, the around the world — has turned the Amendment Act, 1993. This overdue
youthful (34) Mayor of New York City white majority against the black popu- constitutional amendment hasn’t re-
(NYC), has prompted media head- lation and migrants by legislating laws ceived traction because selfish state
lines around the world. Improbably, to deport undocumented migrants governments refuse to devolve power
Uganda-born immigrant Mamdani is and prevent further immigration. to municipal corporations. As pro-
now the elected mayor of America’s Yet Mamdani has made no secret of posed often on this very page, prop-
most populous, iconic and wealthiest his socialist development agenda for erty taxes should accrue to municipal
metropolis. New York, a “city of immigrants, built corporations and devolve upon ward
Consequently, this self-confessed by immigrants”. Free public transport committees comprising property own-
socialist is CEO of staunchly capitalist for citizens, rents freeze, construction ers. Only this formula can save India’s
America’s, if not the world’s, commer- of 200,000 affordable homes, munic- rapidly deteriorating cities from ruin.
cial nerve centre by virtue of it host- ipal-run grocery stores, free childcare Mamdani’s proposals are not
ing the business and banking hub of services, and raising the minimum unreasonable bearing in mind that
Wall Street and the New York Stock wage. To fund these welfare measures, through the grit, enterprise and de-
Exchange, the world’s most heavily he intends to steeply raise local taxes termination of immigrant entrepre-
capitalized stock market. NYC’s an- payable by industry and super-rich neurs, the US and NYC, its commer-
nual budget of $1.19 trillion is larger property owners. In India, such state- cial capital, are the world’s wealthiest
than of Indonesia, Philippines and Ar- ments of intent are routine, but in the country and metropolis. Now that a
gentina and contributes 4.3 percent of US, especially in the country’s epicen- large — indeed gargantuan — cake
America’s annual GDP ($30 trillion). tre of freewheeling capitalism, this is has been baked, it’s time to distribute
NYC (pop. 8.5 million)has 350,000 unprecedented heresy. it generously. Unfortunately, in post-
employees on its payroll. Yet even as Mamdani’s confronta- independence India, a delusional
Mamdani’s electoral victory comes tion with America’s capitalist estab- socialist establishment attempted to
at a moment when President Donald lishment is being played out, there distribute wealth before creating it.
Trump — ignorant of the reality that are several lessons that right-thinking Hence the pathetic also-ran status in
America’s economic and military citizens in India can draw from this the international development race of
strength was built by the unpaid la- unfolding American drama. First, our this high-potential nation.

12 EDUCATIONWORLD DECEMBER 2025