In a first in Bihar’s long list of political rallies, the ruling JD(U)’s ambitious Adhikar rally on Sunday will be webcast live as the regional party is keen to spread its message across the country and even farther to the NRIs interested in Bihar.
With the entire JD(U) leadership feverishly conducting final preparations for the event’s success, the party’s focus seemed to shift from the rally’s ostensible cause — showcasing the people’s desire for Bihar being granted special state status — to chief minister and party stalwart Nitish Kumar’s personality. Thousands of JD(U) workers were seen wearing Mr Kumar’s masks and T-shirts sporting his pictures. This, after Mr Kumar’s pictures having been splashed across thousands of hoardings and banners put up for the rally, reflected the JD(U)’s plans to glorify the rally’s cause no less than its main architect.
A website, www.biharadhikarrally.com [1], has been set up by the party with IT engineers from Pune, Delhi and Patna working together for a month to ensure maximum mileage from the mega event at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan where some five lakh people are expected to gather. Logging on to the website will allow people to watch a live webcast of the rally from its beginning at 10 am till it ends at about 2.30 pm.
“The webcast will ensure that our supporters outside Bihar get to see and hear chief minister Nitish Kumar and other top leaders to get a clear sense of how Bihar has improved and what the state now needs. The website will be useful even after the rally is over,” said Sanjay Jha, a close aide of Mr Kumar’s and a JD(U) leader who recently defected from ruling ally BJP. JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said the CM’s speech would happen at about 12.30 pm.
The Opposition RJD, LJP, CPI(ML) and CPI(M) on Saturday criticised the JD(U) for the holding the rally, calling it misuse of public money and an effort to divert public attention from the government’s failures. The RJD said the rally was “funded by loot money and organised by criminals”.
With several thousands of rally participants having already reached Patna from across Bihar and more to arrive by special trains and buses on Sunday, the city administration was working overtime to facilitate smooth functioning of normal civic life. Meanwhile, thousands of agitating contractual schoolteachers from across Bihar are sitting in dharna against the government.
Links:
[1] http://www.biharadhikarrally.com