'Human chain will spread awareness about 'Jal, Jivan, Hariyali' among masses': JDU

Janata Dal-United (JDU) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad on Sunday has praised the Bihar government's ambitious statewide human chain event and added that it will spread awareness regarding the importance of greenery among the masses. "The Jal, Jeevan, Hariyali campaign (water, life, greenery) is an ambitious Rs 25,000 crore program of the Bihar government. The human chain is being formed under the same mission today, to spread awareness among the masses," Prasad told reporters in Patna.

The Bihar government had earlier claimed that the human chain on January 19 would be the longest one ever attempted. The human chain will cover all districts in the state as crores of people promised to participate. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy CM Sushil Modi along with other ministers gathered at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna to participate in the human chain event on Sunday. The Bihar government had organised such events in support of prohibition of liquor in 2017 and then against dowry and child marriage in 2018.

READ | Sushil Modi ready to debate CAA, NRC & NPR In Bihar assembly, demands caste-based census

'Who will take responsibility if they fall sick?'

The event had earlier come under attack from the Opposition in the State, with RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav stating, "So many trees were cut by Nitish Kumar for making highways and for the other so-called development works. Water is being wasted every day from the faulty taps in the government offices while the CM keeps talking about Jal, Jeevan and Hariyali."

"He is going to make the school children stand in this cold weather for the human chain, who will take responsibility if they fall sick?" Yadav told reporters on Saturday.

READ | LJP rejects Prashant Kishor's proposal of 'big brother' role to JDU in 2020 Bihar polls

Lalu Yadav coins a new term

RJD chief Lalu Yadav who is in jail had also criticised the Nitish government's campaign. Prasad, who is away in Ranchi serving sentences in fodder scam cases, alleged that the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali drive has, so far, involved irregularities to the tune of Rs 24,500 crore in addition to crores which is likely to be “splurged” on the “nautanki” (farce) of the human chain slated for January 19. 

The jailed leader, who was seen in public after a long time on Thursday when he appeared before a CBI court in Jharkhand’s capital town, offered his take on his Twitter handle which is operated by his close associates. He coined a new term “chhal chheejan ghariyali” to describe his arch-rival's environment drive a slang whereby he apparently sought to assert that “Jal Jeevan Hariyali” was aimed at fooling the people by shedding crocodile tears about the environment.

READ | Dalai Lama visits Bihar CM's residence, prays for peace

READ | 'Millions of youth unemployed but Nitish wasting govt money on travel': Lalu Yadav

(With agency inputs)