On January 21, 2017, around four crore people of Bihar had joined hands in support of total alcohol prohibition enforced by CM Nitish Kumar on 2016.
With Bihar once again gearing up to form a statewide human chain, this time against dowry and child marriage, all district magistrates (DMs) have been assigned 'targets' with respect to the tentative minimum length of the chain and number of participants, to ensure a bigger and better chain than 2017.
On January 21, 2017, around four crore people of Bihar had joined hands in support of total alcohol prohibition enforced by CM Nitish Kumar on 2016. At 11,000 kms, it was perhaps the world's longest human chain. The CM had then announced a similar chain to raise awareness against dowry and child marriage on the same date this year.
In a letter issued to all DMs and SPs, Chief Secretary (CS) Anjani Kumar Singh asked to ensure that the human chain is at least 5% longer in length and number of participants larger than last year. The cumulative target for the 13,500-km long chain is 4.25 crore people.
The letter says all state government officials, contractual workers, teachers, non-teaching staff and students of all government and non-government schools, Jeevika self-help group members, ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers and others will participate in the event. It says students from Class VI and above will participate in the human chain though it should not be made compulsory.
This has not gone down well with the Opposition, which has slammed the CM for involving schoolkids in the human chain. "Even last year, it was a children chain as 75% of the participants were school students. Who will dare defy the DM if he requests schools to participate in the chain? And everyone knows that students are the easiest audience for such events, especially if DMs have been given targets," a Bihar Congress leader said.
The RJD said cold-day conditions are prevailing in several parts of Bihar and calling students for such events is inhuman. "The participation of students and teachers in the human chain should be voluntary and not forced by the state machinery. Nitish ji, you want to use this occasion to polish your image but let the fog clear first, so that children are not inconvenienced," said Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in Bihar legislative assembly.
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