With party workers and leaders jostling for space at the dais, the ongoing Sampark Yatra of senior Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar is often marred with scuffle and fracas. The former Bihar Chief Minister is currently on a 17-day tour through 32 districts of the State.
Local JD-U leaders and workers of Katihar indulged were involved in a brawl on Friday ahead of Nitish Kumar’s meeting there. One group of party leaders charged the other of ignoring their presence deliberately. They also traded charges against each other for not being given due place and importance at the dais of the meeting.
“Nitish Kumar’s meeting is being hijacked by a particular group of leaders close to a leader having proximity with Mr. Kumar,” charged a local party leader.
Earlier too, similar uproarious scenes were witness ahead of Nitish Kumar’s Sampark Yatra meeting at Munger, Begusarai and Muzaffarpur.
Neglected“This tour by Nitish Kumar is to meet the cadres but here the genuine cadres who work at booths are being neglected by a group close to the leader. If not checked, party will suffer a lot in the upcoming Assembly poll,” said an anguished JD-U leader who was denied a place at the meeting dais at Muzaffarpur meeting.
Another party leader at Munger told The Hindu that the intention of the party leader might have been genuine but he is still being surrounded by some sycophant leaders who “mislead him constantly”.
“The party has lost contact and connection with the grass root leaders and it was only because of this it has to face a crushing defeat in the last Lok Sabha poll. Nitish Kumar must honour the local booth level workers… only speeches will not serve any purpose,” said another JD-U leader and Begusarai.
During the last nine days the former Bihar Chief Minister has covered 18 districts while addressing over a lakh party workers. However, senior party leaders claimed that 5,000 party workers have been attending each of Nitish Kumar’s meetings and it has been a huge success.
Enthusiasm“Nitish Kumar’s Sampark Yatra has been a big success. The way the booth level and panchayat level workers have thronged the meetings shows enthusiasm among the partymen,” said State JD-U president Basistha Narayan Singh.
Significantly, in all his meetings Nitish Kumar has been repeatedly playing old audio tapes of speeches of Narendra Modi and some other leaders which they had made during the last Lok Sabha polls.
Besides, he has been also raising issues like special status for Bihar, step-motherly treatment with the State, Central government going back on its promises of bringing black money to the country, unemployment and the present vitiated political situation of the country.
In the next phase of his Yatra, Nitish Kumar would address party workers and leaders in the Muslim dominated border districts of Purnia and Kishanganj and said to be gauging mood of minorities in the event of Modi surge across the country.
The State party chief Basistha Narayan Singh also said that being the star campaigner for the JD-U, Nitish Kumar would also address public meetings in all Assembly constituencies.