India, Oct. 10 -- Promises during election campaigns ought to be taken with more than a pinch of salt - although they are still important because they give us an idea about the larger worldview of the political parties and politicians making them. It is against this backdrop that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav's promise of giving a government job to a person in every household in Bihar ought to be evaluated. The numbers are beyond ridiculous.

According to the caste survey conducted by the Bihar government in 2023, the state had 130.7 million people spread across 27.6 million households. Only about two million people held government jobs in the state, according to the data, some of which will be central government jobs. ...