Special states

Nitishs demand is bad politics. Giving in would be worse

For as long as most can remember,the state of Bihar has been cause for sighs and the butt of unpleasant jokes about the quality of its governance and public culture. For a couple of years now,however,green shoots of hope have taken root; perhaps Nitish Kumar can genuinely make a difference,make Bihar a normal state,allow it to live up to its extraordinary history and to reposition itself,as it so easily could,in the centre of Indian political and economic life. That quest for normality is what lies behind his spectacular win in

the last Lok Sabha polls,and the support that he appears to be receiving from all sections of Bihari society. And the demand for special status for Bihar,which he articulated both immediately following the end of elections and again now in a letter to the PM,runs against the grain of that quest.

Special category states are usually those with,according to the thirteenth Finance Commission,hilly terrain,sparsely populated habitation and high transport costs leading to high delivery cost of public services. For such states,in the past,90 per cent of Central assistance was treated as a grant,the remaining 10 per cent as a loan. Unsurprisingly,these include the states of the Northeast,Sikkim and Uttarakhand. Bihars problems dont stem from difficult terrain. Quite the reverse; Bihar is resource-rich,and has every geographical advantage. The high delivery cost of public services is far from being because of natural disadvantages; it is because of governance failure,precisely what Nitish is trying to reverse.

Of course,giving in to Nitishs demand would strengthen all sorts of other demands from currently lagging states,and even from those that arent: during the election campaign,the PMK demanded special status for Pondicherry. The BJD demanded it for Orissa at around the same time. All swing parties,all unacceptable demands. But the central point is that Bihar already has special status,and that is what Nitish Kumar has been trying to shed. Restoring Bihari pride will hardly be hastened by being told that their state is special in a way that nobody wants to be. Restore governance,instead,Chief Minister: that way your own special status

is preserved.