Bihari migrants united on development issue

Kolkata: As Bihar awaits the results of a tightly contested election on Tuesday, Bihari migrants living in Kolkata are politically divided, but are united on development issue.Paresh Kumar, a 50-year-old security guard from Gopalganj, says this election is different for his family. His grandson, who voted for the first time, has been drawn to the INDIA bloc’s campaign promising employment for youth. “He says his generation wants job and respect at home and don't want to live outside the state,” Thakur said, standing outside the Kolkata office building where he works nights. “I have seen Nitish Kumar’s Bihar — roads, schools, and liquor ban have changed a lot.

But my grandson wants more. He says this time the INDIA bloc talks about the future, not just schemes.”Women from the state have mixed opinion. Many say the NDA government’s welfare outreach, especially direct cash transfers, made a real difference. “I got ₹1,000 in my account just before the elections,” said Rekha Devi, a domestic help from Nalanda. “That money helped with rations and school fees. I feel this government has at least remembered poor women like us.

I want the NDA to continue.”The liquor ban — one of the most defining and debated decisions of the Nitish Kumar government — remains a talking point among migrant families. Most of the women support it because it brought domestic peace. “Earlier, my husband drank and fought every evening when he came home,” Rekha added. “Now things are calmer.” But she believes “the ban is good in idea, bad in execution — liquor still flows secretly.”Others like Bablu Kumar Shaw, a tea seller from the state see hope in INDIA bloc’s pitch for industrial growth. “If they can bring real jobs to Bihar, I’ll support them,” he said. “We don’t want to depend on government money. We want to earn with dignity in our own state.”Among Kolkata’s Bihari workers, political loyalty comes from their past experience. Whereas 0lder migrants recall the stability and social schemes under the NDA; younger voices speak of the INDIA bloc’s call for jobs, industries and accountability. Yet, both agree that Bihar can’t afford to stagnate.