Even though there is no let-up in rising coronavirus cases in Bihar, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has gone into election mode with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United and the BJP in overdrive. Nitish Kumar on Thursday disclosed that in the upcoming state polls, his main promise to voters will be irrigation facilities to all the agricultural land in the state.
Mr Kumar made the promise while talking to Janata Dal United workers from Kaimur and Rohtas districts on Thursday evening. The party has been holding these virtual conferences since Sunday and on an average, he has addressed over 5,000 workers from each district.
The announcement of providing water for irrigation assumes significance as it follows that of electricity and piped drinking water to all the households and separate agriculture feeders to ensure adequate supply of electricity for farming.
Adequate irrigation facilities are expected to be a major political plank which affects almost all households in Bihar where more than 80 per cent of the people are dependent on agriculture.
During his interactions with party workers, sources said, Nitish Kumar has been addressing the issue of his government's handling of the coronavirus crisis because of which he has faced a huge amount of public anger, especially from migrant workers.
Although Nitish Kumar has not elaborated why he opposed special trains in March and refused to pay for Shramik Special Trains to bring back migrant labouers from various parts of the country stranded without work, food and shelter because of the nationwide lockdown, he does admit that people had to go through a lot of hardship. More than 30 lakh migrant workers have returned to Bihar since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis.
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