India, July 14 -- The 2020 Bihar assembly election narrative was dominated by the primary opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)'s promise of a million government jobs once it came to power. Whether it was the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP)'s sabotage or RJD's job-promise appeal, the Janata Dal (United) suffered heavily in the elections, posting its worst-ever seat tally since 2000. Chief minister Nitish Kumar's promise of generating 10 million jobs in Bihar over the next five years on Sunday seems like a well-thought-out preemptive strike against the Opposition's criticism of the lack of employment opportunities in the state.

Bihar is one of the poorest states in the country and a major exporter of both skilled and unskilled labour. In fact, ...