Bihar: Amid Biting Cold, Politics Heats up as Congress, Nitish Kumar Launch Separate Yatras

Patna: Amid biting cold and foggy weather in Bihar, Congress on Thursday began its “Bharat Jodo Yatra” in the state while Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also began his “Samadhan Yatra”. Both the Yatras are set to heat up politics as the seemingly uncomfortable Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeted both of them.

Congress, a key partner of the ruling, started Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY) in the state’s Banka district on January 5. Coincidentally, on the same day, Kumar also embarked on his Yatra from the West Champaran district, which is associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘satyagraha.’

As per reports reaching here, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge formally launched the BJY in Bihar, which will cover nearly 1,200 km in the state. The yatra distance will be covered on foot by the party leaders, workers and supporters to spread the message of “unity and love” among the people and to “expose BJP’s agenda of hate to divide” the people.

Thousands of party workers, supporters and common people joined Congress’s Yatra at Mandar Parvat in Banka ignoring the cold wave-like conditions.

The Congress state unit has urged people to join its Yatra and the party has given the responsibility to hundreds of leaders from the state to district and block levels to mobilise people to participate in the fight against growing unemployment, price rise, hate and social distrust.

According to a senior Congress leader Shakil Ahmad Khan, the yatra will cover 17 districts, including Patna, before ending in Gaya. “We are confident that people in large numbers will participate in the Yatra. The party plans to reach out to people on the ground through this foot march,” Khan told NewsClick.

However, the party’s allies Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) (JD(U) will not join the Congress’s Yatra in the state.

On the other side, hours ahead of formally embarking on his nearly month-long march, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a big announcement that he would go on a countrywide march (Desh ki Yatra) to expose BJP and to remove it from power in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Kumar said he will launch his first such Yatra after the budget session in February this year.

The JD(U) leader said the Samadhan Yatra's aim was to create awareness among people-- mainly in rural areas -- about the ill effects of alcohol and to review the ongoing development programmes, projects and other schemes. Kumar is likely to seek direct feedback from people, mainly women, about prohibition, officials said.

This Yatra by Kumar is widely seen as another bid by him to seek active support of the people to implement liquor prohibition on the ground. The Yatra comes after last month's hooch tragedy in Saran district, which has given a readymade issue to the opposition BJP to target Kumar for his “failure” to implement liquor prohibition.

JD-U leaders here said this latest Yatra is Kumar’s 14th one since 2005. In the past, Kumar had said he repeatedly went on one after another Yatra to feel the pulse of the people, their aspirations, grievances and the impact of different programmes undertaken by the government.

However, this will be Kumar’s first Yatra after dumping BJP and joining hands with RJD, Congress and Left parties to form the Mahagathbandhan government in the state in August last year.

Meanwhile, several BJP leaders, including Union Ministers, MPs, MLAs and former ministers, attacked Kumar for his Yatra and termed it a “drama” while predicting that it would have “no impact”.