Nitish Kumar's 200-Crore Showcasing Of Brand Bihar Is A Hit

Patna: With a turbaned Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the headliner, an audience of thousands, and heavy-hitter VIPs including Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the stakes of yesterday's public meeting in Patna, were heavy both in prestige and politics.

Host Nitish Kumar slayed it, acknowledged leaders who are his political rivals.

After micromanaging the event, held to celebrate the 350th birth anniversary of one of Sikhism's most revered leaders, Guru Gobind Singh, the Bihar Chief Minister was complimented publicly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the scale and intricacy of the arrangements.

Mr Badal said, "It would have been difficult to organise such a grand event (even) in Punjab." Captain Amarinder Singh of the Congress, who hopes to replace Mr Badal as Punjab's Chief Minister, concurred "The arrangements were superb." 200 crores were spent on the gathering by Mr Kumar's government which included a make-shift, large gurudwara where the PM and others paid tribute.
 For yesterday's rally, over a million people arrived in Patna over the last six days from different parts of Bihar as also from Punjab, which votes on February 4 for its next government.  

Thousands filled into the Gandhi Maidan in the heart of the capital, where, three years ago, a series of bombs exploded during a speech when PM Modi was campaigning to be elected Prime Minister. Seven people were killed, and nearly 80 injured; damagingly, for Mr Kumar, there was plenty of evidence that security had been casually handled.

Mr Kumar, his aides said, was determined to reset the record, prove his administration's efficiency and his own expertise, and present Bihar as a state that should be known for much more than the backwardness that has been its traditional descriptor. "By organising such a successful show, now you have a new Brand Nitish who has demonstrated the administration in Bihar can deliver," said Dr Shaibal Gupta, who heads the prestigious Asian Development Research Institute in Patna.

A year ago, Mr Kumar assigned senior bureaucrats to different committees to organise yesterday's event. Choosing vendors with experience was stressed as essential. Junior officers were divided into teams tasked with executing what the senior panels decided. Close and trusted aides of the Chief Minister who had retired were pressed back into service in top coordinating roles.

Three mini-cities were created in and near Gandhi Maidan to accommodate 70,000 people to host those who traveled from Punjab and other parts of Bihar and the country. The contractor who made the tents available has worked in the past on all major Kumbh Melas, which draw massive crowds for days. Heaters were provided in bulk. Fire safety and emergency services were stationed nearby. Several health centres were created to serve the three camping grounds. Toilets at public schools in the area were renovated for the large crowds.

Jaspal Singh, who stayed in a tent and is a resident of Ludhiana, said, "We never imagined we would be treated to this kind of hospitality. Five-star service is an understatement."

As the event drew nearer, on-the-ground inspections by the Chief Minister were frequent. Officers from Punjab working in the Bihar government were assigned top roles to ensure Sikh sensitivities were respected. Senior police officers were asked to ensure that cops frisked Sikhs carefully without causing offense over the inspection of kirpans or swords that they carry. A police building was demolished to make room for widening a main road leading to the venue.

After the rally, the PM and others were served an all-vegetarian meal catered by a halwai chosen personally by Mr Kumar from the Tarn Taran district of Punjab. VVIPs got personal attention. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who could not stay for lunch, was asked to a cup of tea with Mr Kumar. The Punjab Chief Minister was invited to dinner after he landed in Patna on Wednesday night on the eve of the celebration.

After the disaster and tragedy of the Gandhi Maidan bombings in 2013, Mr Kumar appears to have rescued his own reputation while promoting Bihar as territory that he has primed with best practices for management.