PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is all set to don the avatar of a social reformer.
He will embark on a ‘Samaj Sudhar Yatra’ (social reforms tour) on December 22. This will be his 12th statewide tour since he came to power the first time in November 2005.
Nitish will start his yatra from East Champaran district, the ‘karmabhumi’ of Mahatma Gandhi. He will convince people about the consequences of social evils such as prohibition, dowry, child marriage etc. during the 12-day yatra.
He will exhort women to cooperate with the government agencies in implementation of the prohibition law more effectively.
The state has seen a spate of hooch tragedies in recent months despite a stringent prohibition law in force, which earned his government much flak.
In addition, the CM will assess various development works undertaken by his government. The yatra will conclude on January 15. Janata Dal-United spokesperson Arvind Nishad said, “The CM’s visit will accelerate the development works in the districts. Such yatras have positive impact on the people who will get the opportunity to interact with the CM directly and tell about pending projects.”
The yatra comes as a time when Nitish has raised the pitch again for ‘special status’ to Bihar, an issue on which he is not on the same page with ally BJP. Sources said Nitish will also galvanise public opinion on this issue during the yatra.
Special staus demand louder
The yatra comes as a time when Nitish has raised the pitch again for ‘special status’ to Bihar, an issue on which he is not on the same page with ally BJP.