Table Of ContentPolitics Governance
and
Indian States
in
Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura
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Politics Governance
and
Indian States
in
Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura
Subrata Mitra
Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS)
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Harihar Bhattacharyya
Department of Political Science
University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India
World Scientific
NEW JERSEY • LONDON • SINGAPORE • BEIJING • SHANGHAI • HONG KONG • TAIPEI • CHENNAI • TOKYO
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Published by
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE IN INDIAN STATES
Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura
Copyright © 2018 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means,
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ISBN 978-981-3208-22-3
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“9x6” b3125 Politics and Governance in Indin States: Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura
Contents
Foreword vii
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xv
List of Figures xvii
List of Tables xix
Abbreviations xxv
About the Authors xxix
Chapter 1 I ntroduction: Politics and Governance in Indian
States 1
Chapter 2 Order, Governance and Legitimacy: Method,
Model and Data 17
Chapter 3 F ederalism as an Institutional Response to
Diversity: Power-sharing and Constitutional
Reforms in India 47
v
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b3125 Politics and Governance in Indin States: Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura “9x6”
vi Politics and Governance in Indian States: Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura
Chapter 4 C onstitutional Reform and Accommodation
of Identity in India since 1950 71
Chapter 5 M arxist Rule and Democratic Governance
in West Bengal 93
Chapter 6 S ub-State-level Power-Sharing in West Bengal:
The Creation of Gorkhaland
and Empowerment of Panchayats 123
Chapter 7 Bihar: Stalemated Class Conflict and the Crisis
of Governance 147
Chapter 8 Bringing Governance Back in Again: State
Partition, Emergence of Jharkhand and the
Naxalite Challenge 185
Chapter 9 E thnic Conflict and Governance in Tripura 211
Chapter 10 Constitutional Reforms and Power-sharing:
Political Accommodation of Tribal Identity
in Tripura 245
Chapter 11 Regional Governance in a Changed Context:
India after 1991 269
Chapter 12 C onclusion: Governing India’s Regions 309
Vernacular Terms 325
Appendix 333
Bibliography 341
Index 365
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“9x6” b3125 Politics and Governance in Indin States: Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura
Foreword
This book is the outcome of painstaking research and sifting
through reams of records. This publication was conceptualized as a
result of Subrata Mitra and Harihar Bhattacharryya’s fertile imagina-
tion and deep-rooted interest in comparative politics. I had initially
pondered over the wisdom in choosing these three States. However,
as I read through the chapters the raison d’être of the choice appealed
to me. The States narrate three very different stories — all three
have maintained their initial territorial and political integrity and
yet have had very different political and economic experiences. This
book is an excellent analysis and authoritative chronicling of their
experiences and the lessons emerging therefrom.
The Indian people have solemnly resolved to constitute them-
selves into a sovereign socialist democratic republic comprising a
Union of States. In the parliamentary form of democracy that India
practices, the States elect their own legislative assembly members as
well as the representatives to the Parliament of the country. The
governance of the State is entrusted to the council of ministers who
would be from the political party or coalition with the majority leg-
islators. Thus barring issues such as Defence and External Affairs,
most of the other governance functions within the State are con-
ducted by the State government. Indian federalism defines the
vii
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b3125 Politics and Governance in Indin States: Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura “9x6”
viii Politics and Governance in Indian States: Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura
responsibilities and powers of the regional governments with the
model of governance at the State level mirroring that of the Union
level. Whilst the Legislative Assembly and its elected members are
the law makers, the government and administration is run by a per-
manent bureaucracy supervised by a council of ministers. Thus the
capability to administer and provide a good government is the sole
responsibility of the State government.
From its birth, the Indian federal structure has faced many chal-
lenges. There have been demands for formation of new States. The
country witnessed a single political party dominating at the Centre
and the regions in the initial 20 years after independence. This was
a very supportive factor in the working of Indian federalism in its
formative stages. A single party at the Centre and States had an abid-
ing impact on political, financial and development relations between
the Centre and the States, since inter-governmental tensions were
kept under control and co-operation was promoted.
However, with the general election in 1967, the dominance of
a single party was broken and regional parties emerged and came
in to control of the administration of different States. It is in this
background that the work of the authors needs to be assessed. The
choice of States, seemingly insignificant at first glance, is very illus-
trative of the disparate relationship between the three States and
the Centre and the model and content of governance that pre-
vailed within. In the context of regional governance beginning to
gain prominence and also slowly but very definitively commencing
to assert itself, a new chapter unfolded in the history of post-
independence India. The three States chosen for study display
very diverse characteristics. Bihar, at one time among the best
administered States of India, constitutes the Hindi heartland.
Though a one-time well-administered State, it soon displayed very
significant weaknesses in administration, its development index,
and law and order. It soon found its place as a part of what was
pejoratively referred to as the BIMARU (meaning ‘sick’) States, as
it was displaying very poor levels of GSDP growth (BIMARU for
Bihar, Madhya Pradesh (undivided), Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh
(undivided) — this grouping has lost its relevance now). Bihar has
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“9x6” b3125 Politics and Governance in Indin States: Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura
Foreword ix
had a very tumultuous political history after the turn of the millen-
nium. However, the authors have very accurately come to the
finding, after monitoring the progress along significant parameters
such as literacy, poverty levels, consumption expenditure, social
service indicators and incidence of murders or riots (as an indica-
tor of maintenance of law and order), that with Nitish Kumar
coming to power in 2005, ‘Bihar is getting its due place in the
nation’! Bihar presents itself as a compelling candidate for a study
in comparative politics where competent political leadership has
brought rich dividends on all fronts.
West Bengal, on the other hand, the land of Rabindranath
Tagore, literature and culture, soon passed into communist bastions
for 34 years. It is remarkable that in this period, the State saw only
two chief Ministers viz Jyoti Basu (1977–2000 — he resigned in Nov
2000 on health grounds) and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. The CPM
was defeated by the Trinamool Congress of Mamata Banerjee in the
2011 State elections. The transition away from the clutches of the
communists in 2011 at the hands of a frail, strong willed and iron
fisted lady, was again fairly tumultuous. The new government had
inherited a treasury where the debt servicing of Rs 232 billion
(3.6 billion USD) was only marginally lower than the State’s own tax
revenue of Rs 249 billion (3.9 million USD) and where revenue
expenditure was more than revenue receipt (as was presented in the
budget of 2012–13). The State has been making concerted efforts to
improve its overall social indicators. It has improved the school
dropout rate and has seen a decline in child marriages.
This State has been a classic study of regional governments
increasing their share of dominance over the central government.
The Teesta water treaty with Bangladesh was derailed by the con-
stant opposition of Mamata Banerjee who felt that India signing the
treaty would be detrimental to the irrigation requirements of West
Bengal. The Chief Minister has maintained her stand and also
ensured that the central government does not conclude the water
sharing pact with Bangladesh though her own technical advisors
maintain that in line with international convention, the free flow of
Teesta water cannot be blocked. Nevertheless, this has not cut
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