Patna,(BiharTimes): The granting of special category status for five years to the new state of Seemandhra prompted the Janata Dal (United) and Bharatiya Janata Party to give calls for Bihar bandh (shutdown) and rail-roko (train-blockade) on March 2 and February 28 respectively.

But the fact is that both these agitations failed to elicit Seemandhra type response. There the opposition to the creation of Telangana was quite strong and the strike and agitation evoked complete response. The Centre was compelled to grant the special category status for five years to soothe the anger of the people.

There was no such atmosphere in Bihar on both February 28 and March 2. Barring BJP and JD(U) workers the general people were hardly bothered about the demand.

BiharTimes moved around the streets of Patna and other parts of the state only to find most people simply unaware as to what this special category status is. In fact the harassed lot, especially the train passengers, examinees, patients etc were heard abusing the Janata Dal (United) and BJP.

Train passengers were the one who suffered most. Though chief minister Nitish Kumar had asked his party workers to spare rail traffic trains were the soft target. In Sasaram armed supporters of JD(U) sat on the rail-track in presence of the party MP, Mahabali Singh.

Ahmed Wahab, a school-teacher in New Delhi, travelled all the way to Patna to appear in M Ed admission test. The train, Jan Sadharan, arrived 12 hours late on Friday evening because of the BJP’s agitation. He appeared in exam on Saturday and returned on Sunday evening. But Sampoorna Kranti left for Delhi by mid-night and he had to take casual leave on Monday.

Not only that on Sunday the JD(U) supporters even tried to storm the airport only to be thrown out by the CISF personnel.

The tragedy is that the politicians are so insensitive towards the plight of the people that instead of being apologetic the former deputy chief minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, boasted on Feb 28 that never in 35 years had such a successful rail roko has been organized in the state.

Notwithstanding repeated demands by Nitish Kumar and agitation in the last couple of years people in general are indifferent towards the demand of special category status. of it.

Ravi, a Civil Service aspirant, who has done MA in English, told the BiharTimes that it is understandable that hilly and bordering states like North-East, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand get special status. But why Bihar? Politicians simply want to harass the common people by raising such issues.

Ali Haider, who runs a SIM card shop, is of the view that everyone knows how the then Vajpayee government, in which Nitish Kumar, was a minister rejected the demand of special category status.

An SIS personnel manning an ATM in Ashok Rajpath does not know anything about the special category status. But when asked why are things quite normal on the bandh day he replied “udhir pura bandh hai” (there is bandh towards the centre of the city).

Ranjit, a shop-owner near NIT was busy with his business. On Sunday he closes his shop in the second half. But on bandh day he felt no disturbance. On being asked about bandh he hastened to add that Patna City is totally closed. However, he had no reply when said that on Sunday it always remains close.
The daily wage earners, the rickshaw-pullers, small shop owners and auto-drivers were harassed lot.

Incidentally, attendance in Khuda Bakhsh Library and Curzon Reading Room was almost normal.

Serious students appeared more concerned about improving their own status rather than of the state.
Ironically, the Saturday evening thali-beating (7:00 to 7:05 PM) could not be heard in many parts of Patna––what to speak of Delhi.