Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, December 22
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday started his three weeks long Samaj Sudhar Yatra (social reform campaign) from Motihari, headquarters of East Champaran district with focus on total liquor prohibition.
This is the 13th yatra by Nitish since 2005 after he took over as Chief Minister for the first time.
Nitish addressed a public meeting at Gandhi Maidan and declared there would be no compromise on total prohibition and no relaxation for anyone. He was obviously reacting to the demand of his predecessor and Mahadalit leader, Jeetan Ram Manjhi who wanted relaxation in prohibition laws in favour of the downtrodden. There is total no for liquor in Bihar, Nitish said.
Chief Minister took another social reform measure, dowry less marriages and said he would attend only such marriages where the invitees declared it was dowry less marriage.
Nitish said self-declaration of dowry less marriages should be prominently displayed on the wedding invitation cards. He also asked his colleagues in the cabinet and officials to avoid their presence in the marriages where dowry was a consideration.
As his social reform campaign kicked off from. Motihari, the town from where Mahatma Gandhi had launched Satyagrah in 1917, Nitish Kumar directed the lowest level of link between villagers and the administration, the Aanganbadi workers to report cases of child marriages to the police and help prevent such marriages by convincing the parents about the effects of child marriages.
His yatra will conclude on January 15 next year at Nalanda, his home town.
Newly-wed Leader Of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has announced he would start his month-long Berojgaari (unemployment) Yatra from January 15.
