They should vote for change. Will they?

Campaigning for the coming elections in Bihar the Prime Minister said that Bihar still remains a BIMARU state, while Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, with BJP governments, have progressed. To which an instant riposte by an anti-BJP newspaper shows that on certain parameters, such as infant mortality, malnutrition, open defecation, and maternal mortality all the 4 BIMARU states are neck and neck. Maybe, but Bihar and UP still have the highest fertility rates in India at 3.5 and 3.3 against an all India average of 2.4. The main reason why Bihar will lag behind all other states in development is that it is last in literacy in all of India at number 35, with UP at 29. High birth rate with poor literacy leads to crime which is a leading industry in Bihar. Growth in the economy has made a section of people very rich and liberalisation has resulted in the availability of a vast array of international brands, from smart phones to luxury cars, from designer clothes to expensive restaurants. The poor can see shopping malls full of tempting goods while the ubiquity of televisions gives them a glimpse into the lifestyle of the rich. Crime is the quickest way to achieve the same lifestyle so they can be easily recruited by whoever is ready to pay. The top criminals join political parties which protect them from the police. No wonder conviction rates for criminals is only 10% in Bihar while Kerala tops the table with 77%. The intimate connection of crime with politics is illustrated in Bengal where most of the crimes are committed by party goons. Police are not allowed to investigate these crimes. Last year West Bengal police refused to cooperate in the investigation of terrorists making bombs in the house of a politician. Large numbers of people from Bihar travel to other states looking for jobs which leads to resentment among the locals who accuse Biharis of taking their jobs and committing crimes. Attacks on Biharis have taken place in Maharashtra and earlier there were fights in parliament because of attacks on Biharis in Assam. We Indians have little choice in the politicians. It is often a question of who we despise the least. The choice is even more limited in Bihar and UP. To shirk their responsibility politicians demand special help from the center. It would be grossly unfair to other Indians to shovel our tax money to ever growing populations in these states. That is why the anger. While the rest of India is changing towards k type with fewer children Bihar and UP are still r type who breed a lot and care little for their children, depending on the state to keep them alive. As the site of the ancient civilisation of Pataliputra and the university of Nalanda Bihar deserves better. Whether they choose to change or stick with the same old rot is in their hands.