PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kunar is set to embark on another statewide yatra to reach out to the people of the state that he has led for over 16 years, his 13th since 2005, people familiar with the matter said.
This will be KumarтАЩs first yatra after the Janata Dal (United) leader broke up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and returned to the grand alliance in August this year and endorsed his deputy Tejashwi Yadav as the next leader of the ruling alliance.
KumarтАЩs last yatra was in December 2021 when he set out from Motihari in East Champaran on his тАЬSamaj Sudhar YatraтАЭ (social reform yatra).
тАЬIt is being planned. The timing and itinerary are yet to be given final shape,тАЭ S Siddharth, principal secretary to the chief minister said, confirming that the blueprint for another yatra was on the table.
Like his previous yatras, a Janata Dal (United) leader said the proposed yatra is also aimed at feeling the pulse of the people, meeting party workers and emphasising his governmentтАЩs social reforms initiatives including prohibition, which has come under sharp attacks from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party against the backdrop of the hooch tragedy in three villages of Chhapra area where at least 31 people have died over the past week.
KumarтАЩs yatras, a senior official in the chief ministerтАЩs office added, were also an effective instrument for the chief minister to get feedback from the people. Like his last one, the proposed yatra too will keep the spotlight on prohibition and other government initiatives.
тАЬThe focus will be on the social reforms initiatives, especially prohibition, which has been under attack. The chief minister will directly go to the women to seek their views on prohibition, as it was on their call that he imposed prohibition in 2016,тАЭ the official said.
Starting from the Nyaya (justice) Yatra just before the 2005 assembly polls that catapulted him to office, Kumar followed it up with тАШAdhikar YatraтАЩ, тАШSankalp YatraтАЩ, тАШSampark YatraтАЩ, тАШVikas YatraтАЩ, тАШVishwas YatraтАЩ, тАШNishchay YatraтАЩ, тАШDhanyavad YatraтАЩ, тАШPrasad YatraтАЩ, тАШJal Jeevan Hariyali YatraтАЩ and тАШSamaj Sudhar YatraтАЩ.
A JD(U) leader said the yatra route will also be drawn up keeping in mind the need to regain the ground that the party lost in the 2020 assembly elections when JD(U) was for the first time in years relegated to the third position in the state.
Poll strategist Prashant Kishor is already on a 3500-km тАШJansuraj YatraтАЩ in the state and is blaming the Nitish Kumar-Lalu Prasad dominance in Bihar over the last three decades for the stateтАЩs backwardness.
JD(U) ally, the Congress, has already announced plans to launch its yatra from Banka on December 28 in an effort to revive the partyтАЩs fortunes. The Congress yatra, which aims to cover 1,200km through 17 districts, will culminate at Bodh Gaya.
Political analyst Nawal Kishore Choudhary said Bihar politics was in a fluid state in which all groups are trying to out-manoeuvre one another, Nitish Kumar was pulling out his trusted instrument.
тАЬOne thing is clear that a weakened Nitish Kumar is fighting the toughest battle of his life. He is the CM, but his governance model is under attack and his political strength waning after a long stint,тАЭ he added.
Former director of AN Sinha Institute of Social Sciences DM Diwakar said that in a democracy, people are at the centre and this yatra will certainly help him.
тАЬBut if he does not change political idioms, communication will not be effective. The yatra will need to have some innovative political idioms to attract the people. He has his job cut-out to set his house in order and dilute the natural anti-incumbency before embarking on a larger objective of Opposition unity. Rahul Gandhi has already drawn a bigger line through his тАШBharat Jodo YatraтАЩ and Congress will remain integral to any Opposition unity move,тАЭ he added.
