Cong launches 'Pol Khol Yatra'

PATNA: Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser on Friday set out on a 'Pol Khol Yatra' of the state to create awareness about the various alleged scams and acts of omission and commission by the Nitish government. It was flagged off by AICC in charge, Bihar affairs, Gul Chain Singh Charak from the Martyrs' Memorial at 11.10am in the presence of a motley crowd of Congressmen.
Minutes later, Kaiser left for Chhapra via Hajipur, Sonepur and Dighwara in an air-conditioned luxury car. Clad in spotless white kurta and pyjama and sporting an 'angvastram', he was accompanied by Charak and Moti Lal Sharma. State Congress spokesman Prabhat Kumar Singh and some other leaders accompanied the yatra in other vehicles. A meeting of the Congress workers of Saran division was scheduled at Chhapra later in the day.
Speaking to mediapersons, Charak said that the yatra would expose various scams and misrule under the Nitish government. He demanded, among other things, a CBI probe into the AC-DC bills irregularities of about Rs 22,000 crore brought to light by the CAG. Kaiser wondered why was the Nitish government reluctant to order a CBI probe into the AC-DC bills issue when similar CAG expose had led to arrest of several leaders at the national level. The BPCC president said he was launching the yatra to create awareness on issues like AC-DC bills scam, lapse of Central funds meant for the backward, extremely backward and Dalit people, the alleged 'March loot' of about Rs 1,000 crore this year, purchase of inferior bitumen and medicines and loot of funds meant for MNREGA and Indira Awas schemes. Besides, the party would also highlight power shortage and deterioration in law and order.
Congress legislature party leader in the assembly Sadanand Singh said, "The yatra will clear misconceptions among people about the Nitish government. The government is projecting a picture of 'Bihar Shining', a la the 'India Shining' campaign of the Vajpayee government."
The yatra will visit all nine divisions of the state in two phases. On Saturday, the yatra will reach Muzaffarpur from Chhapra, where a meeting of Congress workers of Tirhut division will be held. It will reach Samastipur on Sunday and Begusarai on Monday. On May 2, the yatra will leave Patna for Ara via Danapur, Maner and Bihta. The second phase of the yatra would now begin on May 19 due to civic bodies' polls, said state Congress spokesman Vinod Sharma.