Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s ongoing Seva Yatra of the state is facing public anger in ways unexpected by the ruling JD(U) and BJP. Mr Kumar’s disregard to the protests has prompted the Opposition parties to renew their criticism of his much-hyped yatra.
Hundreds of people, many of them women, were seen protesting against the shoddy execution of various welfare schemes and the declining law and order situation as Mr Kumar went about inspecting the progress of the schemes and hearing people’s grievances during his tour.
His cavalcade was momentarily stopped by hundreds of agitated women in Sheikhpura on Wednesday and the police had to use mild force to disperse them, but Mr Kumar did not come out of his car to talk to the protesters.
The women, mostly poor mahadalit women from Kutait and surrounding villages in Sheikhpura district, had wanted to meet Mr Kumar to complain about the non-availability of Indira Awas Yojna (IAY) funds and alleged irregularities in the implementation of this scheme. In the evening, an unruly mob demonstrated outside the Sheikhpura circuit house where Mr Kumar was retiring for the night.
The mob, protesting against alleged police inaction following a local man’s murder the previous day, also reportedly tried to set up a fire near the circuit house and pelted stones at Mr Kumar’s car when it emerged from the compound to fill up fuel.