Will South India become the new BIMARU?

Let's look back at "BIMARU" (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) which were once seen as sick or backward states of India and losing out because of high levels of corruption, lawlessness and crime.

Why did they get there? It all started with lack of justice for common man. A miniscule minority patronised by the politicians and criminals took law into their own hands and threatened people to submission. A minuscule minority of the police force colluded with the criminals, never registered FIRs, never gave justice to the victims and the courts as usual took decades to provide justice to common man. Gradually the miniscule minority grew in percentage with the lure of wealth and patronage leaving the law-abiding common man with only three options to choose from.

Yield to the reality, get subdued and become submissive. Kill their own energy and enterprise to buy peace.

Leave the State to places where they could live with dignity and peace.

Join the criminals and the insignificant corrupt minority in the law enforcing bodies to threaten and loot others.

The ones with enterprise migrated to greener pastures did well for themselves. There was large scale migration in the intellectual and the labour population. Everywhere it was the miniscule minority that ruled the large population of law-abiding common man. Percentage didn't matter here.

In the last few years, we have seen the so called BIMARU states reforming because of decisive leaders like Nitish Kumar, Shivraj Chauhan and Yogi Adityanath. Rajasthan unfortunately hasn't seen a good leader during the BJP or Congress rule.

Now watch the KAMATT States (Karnataka, Andhra, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu). These states that were once prosperous, literate, enterprising are seeing the same situation that BIMARU faced decades ago.

Be it any party which came to power, we just saw corrupt leaders, corrupt police, delayed justice system that failed to act on time and subdued the common man into submission. We see people helpless with the corrupt and unfair leaders and justice system.

We see the govt indulging in large scale corruption, In some States the government never getting formed till the end of its 5-year term, defections, buying and selling of elected representatives, caste divisions, fight to get classified as backward and/or minorities, government being the perpetrator of injustice, patronising criminals and looting public money by rigging tenders, not making payment to service providers on time, insensitive to notices and to the legal system.

These are clear signs of a lawless society and of leaving the law-abiding common man with the same three choices: Yield to buy peace, migrate out of State or join the corrupt and criminal syndicate.

The writing is on the wall. While the Centre seems to be working on reforms, on transparency in governance and development, we see these once prosperous states drifting towards BIMARU. Our judicial system has never introspected ever to see why justice takes years and decades, why the society is drifting towards crime or surrender. Unless the police and the judiciary wakes up, we don't see much hope in the near future. Without Justice, there is no "Sabka vikas , there is no "Acche Din'. We will be left with just slogans and hype.

The future is bleak and scary unless we nail the corrupt politicians , the police and the slow judicial process. Independent , fair and upright police department and a free and quick judiciary is the basic need of the common man. The rest can wait.