The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other Mahagathbandhan allies have been fiercely protesting against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Patna. Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, they have vociferously taken to the streets. The demonstrations have erupted into full-blown blockades, reports claimed, adding that the agitation has the backing of the Congress, Left parties, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), and independent leader Pappu Yadav.
Reports poured in that at Hajipur, RJD supporters choked traffic on the Gandhi Setu, using burning tyres to obstruct roads. In Sonpur, RJD MLA Mukesh Roshan was at the forefront, personally leading road blockades. Police forces have been deployed at key flashpoints as tension simmers.
According to the latest reports, police attempted to prevent the procession from advancing toward Mangles Road, where the office is situated, while hundreds of RJD workers and supporters flooded the streets, trying to enforce the bandh by shutting down shops and business establishments.
In Jehanabad, members of the RJD’s student wing intensified the stir by blocking train tracks at the railway station, halting rail movement in a coordinated show of defiance.
The agitation is set to reach its crescendo as Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav are scheduled to lead a statewide protest.
They are slated to march in unison through central Patna. The protests will start from the Income Tax office at Golambar and head towards the Election Commission’s office. The timing of the march has been deliberately aligned with the Bharat Bandh declared by some central trade unions and their affiliates, who have raised demands including the implementation of a new labour code and the assurance of a fair minimum wage.
A joint press briefing was held on Monday, led by Tejashwi Yadav. He was accompanied by Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar, AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, and leaders from the Left. During the briefing, they announced that the protest would spread across the entire state.
Meanwhile, it has been alleged that the hasty revision of electoral rolls was designed to benefit the ruling party. Opposition parties criticised the delay in announcing the revision just months ahead of the polls, arguing that the process could have been carried out much earlier.
The “chakka jam” protest now unfolds as both a battle cry and a political flashpoint, as opposition parties intensify their assault on the government’s moves ahead of a high-stakes election.
Additional Director General (Law and Order) Pankaj Darad stated that all necessary preventive measures were implemented to maintain law and order during the bandh, clarifying that there were no major untoward incidents.
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