Who is Responsible for Bihar’s Migration Crisis? A Data-Driven Breakdown

Bihar remains one of India’s top sources of outbound migration. Year after year, lakhs of Bihari workers board trains to Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, and Punjab—not in search of ambition, but out of compulsion. This mass migration is not a recent phenomenon. It’s a deeply rooted socio-economic failure. But who’s truly responsible for it—Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar, BJP, or Congress? Let’s break it (Bihar’s Migration) down

1. Lalu Yadav & RJD (1990–2005): The Era of Stagnation
   Lalu’s rise in the 1990s marked a shift in Bihar’s power structure. Social justice and caste empowerment took center stage. But governance and development took a backseat.
   ● Law and order collapsed.
   ● Educational institutions crumbled; teachers went unpaid.
   ● No industrial investment came Bihar’s way.
   Per capita income in Bihar (2004–05): Rs. 6,800 vs. national average: Rs. 24,000 (Source: Planning Commission)
   This vacuum pushed the rst large-scale wave of migration. Bihari youth stopped expecting jobs at home.
   “They gave voice to the poor, but forgot to give them employment.”
   Verdict: RJD bears the highest responsibility for sowing the seeds of mass migration.
2. Nitish Kumar & JD(U) (2005–Present): The Governance That Stopped Short
   Nitish Kumar brought hope. Roads improved. Electricity reached villages. Crime fell. But one thing remained unchanged—lack of jobs.
   ● Bihar’s unemployment rate remains above 17% (CMIE, 2023).
   ● Over 70% of students educated in Bihar leave the state for employment.
   ● No significant industrialization despite 20+ years in power.
   Nitish’s government brought stability, but failed to build a modern economy.
   Verdict: High responsibility. He xed the vehicle but never drove it forward.
3. BJP at the Centre (2014–Present): Promises Without Priorities
   The BJP, in power at the Centre since 2014, had every opportunity to x Bihar’s economic backwardness. But results show otherwise.
   ● Bihar received less than 1% of total FDI (2014–23). (Source: DPIIT, GoI)
   ● No special status, no major freight corridor, and no job ecosystem.
   ● Flagship schemes like StartUp India barely reached Bihar.
   During COVID, the reverse migration crisis exposed the Centre’s complete lack of rehabilitation strategy for millions of Bihari workers.
   Verdict: Moderate responsibility. BJP talks about development but hasn’t treated Bihar as a priority state.
4. Congress (Pre-1990s + UPA Era): The Legacy Neglect
   Before the Mandal era, Congress ruled Bihar and India for decades. But it failed to reform the state’s feudal economy or modernize infrastructure.
   ● No land reforms.
   ● No attempt to industrialize post-Independence.
   ● UPA’s agship schemes (MGNREGA, RTE) helped marginally, but Bihar got no focused revival plan.
   Verdict: Medium historical responsibility. Congress laid the foundation of underdevelopment, but more recent players accelerated migration.
   Migration: Bihar’s Permanent Election Referendum
   Migration is Bihar’s longest-running plebiscite—where people vote with their feet. The system failed them at every stage.

Final Thought
Until Bihar becomes a state where people migrate by choice, not by compulsion, every ruling party must share the blame. From Lalu’s indiference to Nitish’s limits, from the BJP’s neglect to Congress’s historical failures, migration is the mirror no politician wants to look into.
The real question is – will 2025 be the year Bihar finally votes to stay home?

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