The parallels between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s 14th “Samadhan” Yatra and the state’s Congress “Bharat Jodo Padyatra” (BJY) on the pattern of Rahul Gandhi’s nationwide BJY are mainly aimed to strengthen their own ‘shrinking’ party baseline. Interestingly, both – the Janata Dal United ( JD-U) and the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) – are ruling partners in the “ Mahagathbandhan” ( grand alliance) of seven party alliance.
The yatras of both these parties have been flagged off on Thursday morning. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar set off from Valmikinagar in West Champaran while the Congress chief flagged off his padyatra from a famous tourist cum mythological centre Mandal Hill in Banka district of Bihar.
AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge addressed the rally at a nearby biodiversity park before flagging off the padyatra.
Mandar Hill a panoramic landscape of 800 feet high granite hill is situated about 50 km from Bhagalpur city. This place is associated with legendary “Amritmanthan” or churning of nectar from the sea. According to legends, the hill was used by gods to churn the ocean for procuring nectar.
The Bihar Congress, under the state leadership of Akhilesh Prasad Singh, currently a Rajya Sabha MP and former Union state minister has undertaken a first-ever 55-day padyatra programme in Bihar mainly to revive his party in the state.
Party sources said that during the 55 days, the padyatra will cover 1200 km covering 17 districts. The final destination is another pious Buddhist pilgrimage centre – Bodh Gaya. The state party leaders are expecting Rahul Gandhi to address the gathering at a rally on the concluding day at Bodh Gaya.
Speaking to the media, state party chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh anticipated that the padyatra will prove a game changer for the party in the forthcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
During the padyatra, senior party leaders and workers, including its Bihar in-charge Bhakta Charan Das, former state party chief Madan Mohan Jha, leader of the legislature party in the state assembly Àjit Sharma and others will interact with the common people, workers, students and cross section of the people to know their problems and grievances.
According to political observers, “it’s a do or die-like situation in Bihar for the Congress”. It’s a fact that the party has had a dismal performance in electoral politics. “If the party is really serious to improve its electoral position in Bihar it will have to intensify its mass contact programme in different parts of state,” said an old timer.
Now, it’s a last nail in the coffin for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to improve his ‘dent’ image following the sudden snapping of ties with the BJP in last August. In order to improve his image, the CM has undertaken this 14th “Samadhaan” Yatra through mass contact with the voters and people’s representatives.
Though the CM, while talking to the media at Bettiah in West Champaran on Thursday said that he had planned the yatra to review and assess the various ongoing development projects at the grassroots level, during the first phase of the Yatra, he will cover 18 districts till January 29.
In the same breath he said he would launch his nationwide visit soon after the state’s budget session to have dialogue with various Opposition party leaders for its unity in the light of 2024 polls.
However, both the JD-U and the RJD have stayed away from Rahul Gandhi’s BJY. CM Nitish told the media that the BJY is the programme of the Congress party. “Let them conclude their padyatra. After its conclusion we will talk to their party leaders for opposition unity”, he told the media.
Opposition leaders are totally against the latest Yatra of CM Nitish. “It’s a futile exercise. It’s a sheer wastage of government exchequer”. The Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Vijay Sinha said that the “voters have lost faith in him. He has betrayed the people of Bihar by snapping alliance with NDA”.
Even one of its allies of the grand alliance, Jitan Ram Manjhi, was critical of his Yatra. “What is the purpose of assessing the progress at the grassroots level while announcing it publicly? If the CM is serious, he should visit remote areas secretly without disclosing it publicly,” Manjhi told the media.
Manjhi also favoured the idea of introducing the Gujarat model in liquor supply. The restricted quota-wise supply of liquor will solve the problem of the supply of spurious liquor, he said.
RJD sources said that the Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav is likely to undertake a yatra in four seemanchal districts – Katihar, Araria, Purnia and Kishanganj – soon after the state budget assembly session. These four districts are sensitive in which the minority vote decides the fate of candidates.