Where Lalu Prasad faltered, Nitish Kumar cannot afford to fail. Consolidating and promoting the ‘social justice’ constituency should be his paramount concern. Lalu Prasad had taken this constituency for granted which resulted in his electoral doom. To build Bihar, Nitish Kumar should continue to nurture that constituency. To succeed further, he has now added the additional agenda of economic growth.

In the economic sphere, the thrust should be on agriculture where the state has a natural advantage and, two, knowledge, the only weapon through which Bihar can overcome its historical disadvantage. In his one year as chief minister, Kumar has taken cognisance of the above needs and promoted several commissions and institutions which will possibly ensure inclusive growth in Bihar. But dealing with the economic agenda is easy, because it concerns a limited number of variables. In contrast, managing the social constituency is going to be more difficult, not only because it deals with many more variables, but also because it needs great empathy to nurture and to give esteem to deprived groups. Nitish Kumar should understand that the raw brashness of an Anant Singh or the pretentious politeness of some others in his new team are both equally injurious to the state’s social and economic health. They are two sides of the same coin.

The writer is member secretary, Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), Patna