PATNA: A ruling party minister and an MLA had to face the wrath of flood victims in Bihar’s Katihar district during their visit to flood-affected areas, officials said on Sunday.
Pramod Kumar Chandrawanshi, state mines and geology department minister, along with JD(U) MLA from Barari Bijay Singh, visited the flood-hit areas to take stock of the situation and relief camps under the Barari assembly constituency on Saturday.
The flood victims gheraoed the minister and the MLA near Mohna Chandpur village, alleging a lack of facilities at the government-run relief camps. Slogans like “MP-MLA Go Back” rent the air. The protesters also accused the local MLA of discrimination in the distribution of relief materials among flood victims.
Chandrawanshi, a BJP MLC, is the minister in charge of Katihar district to oversee government schemes. The District Magistrate, along with other officials, tried to pacify the protesters but in vain. As a result, both the minister and the legislator had to return to the district headquarters, where they held a meeting with officials.
Sarpanch Mohd Irshad, who was present at the protest site, said that the minister did not visit any relief camp during his tour and also claimed that arrangements on the ground were insufficient for the flood-affected residents. Irshad also raised his concern over the location of flood relief camps.
The Sarpanch alleged that the relief camp designated for Ward No. 11 was instead operating in Ward No. 5, and some severely affected areas, including Ward No. 17, where all houses remain surrounded by floodwater, had not been provided any relief camp.
He also accused MLA Vijay Singh of opposing residents’ demands, claiming that the MLA had threatened local residents to prevent soil excavation. “The residents were also intimidated by the MLA and his henchmen when they sought compensation for damage caused by floods,” he added.
Responding to the allegations levelled by Sarpanch Mohd Irshad and local residents, the minister denied the charges. “A section of people intended to defame the government and incite unrest for political gain. No common people were involved in the protest,” he claimed.
He further stated that even after their attempts to incite, the general public found everything to be in order. The minister maintained that those protesting represented specific political interests rather than the flood-affected population and affirmed that “the people actually affected by the floods are satisfied.”
The protests and government response come as Bihar faces severe flooding, with Katihar among the worst-affected areas. Around 8.23 lakh people across seven blocks in Katihar district have been adversely affected by floods.
