ABSTRACT
A continuing state of emergency governs the lives of India's rural poor. The misery and poverty of the rural poor in Bihar are extreme, even in a country where per capita income is less than $100 per annum. The government of India and the government of the state of Bihar have persistently emphasized rural development programs that would benefit the poor. The civil courts were burdened with cases of litigation over rights in land between rural haves and have-nots. Expectations of change have been generated and demands for action in behalf of the rural poor have become more persistent. Partial satisfaction of some needs of the rural poor may well produce increased demands as the rural poor recognize that pressuring the government gets some results. The emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi may be the last opportunity for the ruling elite to establish a new nexus with constituencies of the rural poor.
