By IANS,
Patna : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Thursday began his “Vishwas Yatra” (a march to seek people’s confidence), aimed at getting a first-hand response to development works initiated by his government in rural areas and to garner support ahead of next assembly elections due in October.
The chief minister launched his month-long march from Baghi village in West Champaran district, the same district where Mahatma Gandhi had launched his first civil disobedience movement in India against British rule.
“I am here to gain confidence of the people,” Nitish Kumar said soon after he began his march, the fifth since he took office in November 2005.
“Nitish Kumar will put the report card of his four and half years’ government before the people during the march and also counter his detractors’ propaganda,” the ruling Janata Dal-United’s (JD-U) state unit chief Vijay Kumar Choudhary said.
“Nitish Kumar will visit 32 of the state’s 38 districts during his march to seek people’s confidence,” he added.
In the first phase of his march, Nitish Kumar will visit West and East Champaran, Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur districts and interact with people to get the direct information and response about development works at villages. He will then review the schemes with government officials.
The chief minister’s venture has attracted criticism from the opposition, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress describing it as a “nautanki” (drama) and criticising him for spending millions of rupees on it.
Last year, Nitish Kumar launched his development march from Bagaha in West Champaran ahead of last Lok Sabha elections.