Author: Aditya Nanduvinamani, KLE Law College, Bengaluru
Abstract
Bihar was once the spiritual and intellectual heartbeat of India. Today, it finds itself mocked, its citizens dismissed as labourers and illiterates. This transformation didn’t occur overnight, it was constructed over decades through deliberate political sabotage, failed revolutions, and caste-based governance. This article unpacks the key historical missteps that drove Bihar into decay: from the misfired JP Movement to the devastating Freight Equalisation Policy, and the everyday humiliation Biharis face across India.
Introduction
The land that birthed Nalanda and Chanakya is now dismissed as a land of dropouts and jobless migrants. “Bihari” today is not just an identity, it’s a slur. But Bihar didn’t fall; it was pushed. It was pushed by central policies that stunted its economy. It was betrayed by leaders who rose on promises of revolution but sank into power games. And it was overlooked by a nation that took its people’s labour but returned only insults. This is the anatomy of a political and social betrayal that Bihar went through.
1. Migration: Bihar’s Mass Displacement
Every year, lakhs of people leave Bihar in search of work. They don’t do it because they want to, they do it because they’re forced to. There are no industries in Bihar to absorb youth. Government jobs are scarce, and when they do appear, they are tainted by scams or corruption. Even educated graduates are left directionless, victims of a system that promises “Rozgar” and delivers rigged exams. This constant migration has torn families apart, drained rural economies, and turned Bihar into a labour-exporting state, supplying workers to cities that barely treat them as human.
2. Freight Equalisation Policy: A Hidden Economic Assault
One of the least discussed reasons behind Bihar’s economic stagnation is the Freight Equalisation Policy, introduced in the early 1950s. On paper, it aimed to make industrial inputs, like steel and coal, equally priced across India, regardless of location. But in practice, it robbed Bihar of its natural advantage, despite being mineral-rich, industries preferred to set up in coastal or urban areas where transport was now subsidised like Calcutta, Kerala, Maharashtra, etc. States like Maharashtra and Gujarat flourished, while Bihar, with its vast resources, was left behind. This single policy blunted Bihar’s future. Its minerals left the state, but jobs and factories didn’t come in return.
3. JP Movement: From Revolution to Regret
In 1974, Jayaprakash Narayan called for “Total Revolution” in Bihar, a mass uprising against corruption and authoritarianism during the political reign of Indira Gandhi. It had promise. It brought youth to the streets. It challenged the status quo. But what followed?
A generation of leaders who rose through this movement, like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar, failed to deliver real governance. Political discourse shifted from development to caste front. The administrative system weakened, and caste-based propaganda replaced policy. What began as a moral uprising ended as a launchpad for self-serving leaders who built empires on caste loyalty, not merit.
4. Illiteracy: Bihar’s Most Profitable Industry
Bihar’s education system is not broken. It was deliberately made dysfunctional. Schools exist only on paper, with missing teachers and fake enrollments. Exam mafias thrive, leaking papers for money while genuine students suffer. Millions are functionally illiterate, not because they’re incapable, but because education was turned into a political weapon. Illiteracy keeps citizens dependent, desperate, and compliant. It’s easier to sell lies to someone who never got a chance to read the truth. 117 schools with zero students and 544 employed and salaried teachers, 16000 schools with no electricity and a shocking 53.6% Female literacy which remains to be the lowest in Indian States. With examination papers being sold at Rs 30-80 Lakhs, Bihar has become no less than an education mafia. Only 17% of Bihar goes to colleges and sadly remain as figures dismissed.
5. “Bihari” As a Slur
Across India, “Bihari” is used as a derogatory term. Migrants are mocked for their accent, their jobs, their dress, even their dreams. What makes this worse is the hypocrisy: The same cities that insult Bihari migrants rely on their hard work. Governments campaign for “Make in India” while Biharis build in India, anonymously, thanklessly. This humiliation is a direct result of how Bihar’s leadership and national policies failed to uphold its dignity.
Case Study: From Ancient Wisdom to Empty Classrooms
Centuries ago, Nalanda University drew scholars from all over the world. Today, in many villages of Bihar, schools run without teachers, girls drop out before Class 8, boys skip school to migrate and support families.
What used to be a global centre of learning has become a dropout state, not because its people are less intelligent, but because their leaders have chosen neglect over nurturing.
Conclusion
Bihar didn’t die, it was systematically buried, first by Delhi, through economic sabotage like the Freight Equalisation Policy, then by Patna, where dynastic politics and caste equations took precedence over roads, schools, and jobs and finally, by the country at large, which took its labour, used its sweat, and mocked its identity.
But Bihar can rise. Not by waiting for another revolution, but by reclaiming its stolen future, demand better schools, not caste coalitions, vote for governance, not surname, own the “Bihari” tag as a badge of survival, not a label of shame. There is a call for immense investment in rural literacy and technology, targeted industrial revival. Bihar does not need any more of fodder scams or land-for-job swindles but a slow and steady reclaim of its worth. Its high time Bihar politics becomes real democratic one and not a blood-handed one. It doesn’t ask for more Laalu’s, Rabri’s or Tejasvi’s but true and genuine leaders who think of the state’s development virtuously.
FAQS
Q1: What was the Freight Equalisation Policy, and how did it harm Bihar?
It made transporting raw materials like coal and iron cheap across India, removing Bihar’s advantage as a mineral-rich state. Industries set up elsewhere, leading to economic underdevelopment.
Q2: Did the JP Movement fail Bihar?
Its ideals were noble, but it birthed a generation of leaders who prioritised power over policy. It replaced Congress elitism with caste-based politics and empty slogans.
Q3: Why is illiteracy so widespread in Bihar?
Because the education system has been hijacked by corruption, neglect, and political disinterest. Exams are sold. Teachers are absent. Students are ignored.
Q4: Why is “Bihari” a slur in many parts of India?
Due to national prejudice, lack of awareness, and decades of political betrayal that kept Bihar poor and underrepresented. Migrants are seen as a burden despite their contributions.
Q5: Can Bihar reclaim its past glory?
Yes. But only if it breaks the cycle of vote-bank politics, prioritises education and jobs, and invests in long-term governance, not populism.
