Manjhi slams INDIA Bloc over Bihar Bandh, calls protest a 'drama'

Patna, July 9 (IANS) Union Minister and HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi on Wednesday lashed out at the INDIA Bloc over the statewide bandh called against the Special Intensive Voter List Revision, terming the protest a drama that failed to gain public support.

Manjhi said: “The leaders and workers of the INDIA alliance who came out for the bandh and chakka jam did not get the support of the people. The hooliganism seen during the bandh reminded people of the Jungle Raj days in Bihar.”

Manjhi mocked the enthusiasm of INDIA leaders during the bandh, claiming: “They marched with pomp and show against the voter revision campaign but could not even walk four steps. Some struggled to walk, others could not bear the heat. Leaders boarded vehicles while making their workers walk on the roads.”

Manjhi said the INDIA alliance’s “selfish character” was once again exposed, asserting that the people of Bihar are aware of the real path of development and will not be misled by the opposition.

Taking a dig at the opposition, Manjhi stated: “Their illusion card did not work in the Lok Sabha elections, nor will it work in the Bihar assembly elections.”

Mocking RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s symbolic cricket protest during the bandh, Manjhi quipped: “Just like Tejashwi became a super hit in cricket, the bandh of the INDIA alliance was also a ‘super hit’. This idea is good to keep the heart entertained till the elections.”

The INDIA Bloc, led by RJD, Congress, and Left parties, had called for a Bihar bandh on Wednesday, alleging that the Special Intensive Voter List Revision was a conspiracy to remove the names of the poor, backward, and minorities from the electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

The bandh witnessed road and rail blockades across the state, with incidents of disruptions reported from Patna, Darbhanga, Hajipur, and other districts, causing inconvenience to commuters and affecting normal life.

--IANS

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