State Capacity and India's Silent Revolution

The state in India has played a transformative role in its socio-political and economic development. Many groups and communities, particularly historically and economically marginalised, view the state as instrumental in ensuring socio-economic justice. Democratic politics in the country, particularly during the 1970s and 80s, have made the state and its institutions more inclusive and representative. Scholars like Yogendra Yadav (1999/2005) and Christophe Jaffrelot (2003) have called this India's 'democratic upsurge' or 'silent revolution'. However, there has been a systematic decline in the state's capacity to uphold law and order or effectively deliver services like quality education, health care, and basic infrastructure in this same period. This paper seeks to examine this contradiction in the context of North India, focusing on Bihar and UP. In doing so, it relies mostly on the government reports, policy documents, and existing secondary literature and popular articles. Two of India's largest and most populated states have witnessed fierce mobilisations around Mandal (OBC reservation) and Mandir (Ram Temple) issues. Caste and community concerns dominate much of its public-political debates. These negotiations determine the nature of the region's democratic politics. Many scholars like Kanchan Chandra (2004), Sohini Guha (2021), Wisoe (2013), Michelutti (2004) and others have studied this phenomenon in recent years. However, there is less focus on its impact on state capacity. Examining the systematic decline in state capacity over the previous three decades, this paper argues that state capacity is central to achieving socio-economic justice. It also identifies major issues concerning state capacity in North India.