With Bihar Legislative Assembly elections just months away, political parties have started preparations for the impending contest. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, political quarters are taking a virtual turn and are banking on social media platforms to reach out to voters.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to launch the Bharatiya Janata Party's election campaign in the state virtually.
Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is observing 'Garib Adhikar Diwas' to counter Shah's rally. Hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah's virtual rally in Bihar on Sunday, RJD leaders and workers staged protests, beating utensils and blowing conches against what their leader Tejashwi Yadav dubbed as the ruling party's celebration of the devastation caused by COVID-19 and the lockdown.
A large crowd gathered outside the 10, Circular Road, the residence of former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, where she stood alongside Tejashwi and her elder son Tej Pratap Yadav and party workers--all clanging steel plates with spoons-- while standing inside circles drawn on the ground to ensure social distancing.
RJD's official Twitter handle and several others posted videos and photos of this protest.
Huge police force was deployed at the protest site which is close to the official residence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and also the house of state health minister Mangal Pandey, a senior BJP leader.
"They (the JD(U)-BJP government) are celebrating the devastation caused by COVID and the lockdown," Tejashwi Yadav alleged in his brief interaction with media during the protest, referring to Shah's rally scheduled later in the day.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav also tweeted about the digital rally of Amit Shah and said that it is shamefull that BJP is busy in preparation for the upcoming elections in Bihar instead of helping people in these difficult times.
Meanwhile, Congress also slamed BJP for organising Amit Shah's virtual rally in Bihar amid COVID-19. Congress Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh on Sunday said that the ruling party is doing politics amid coronavirus outbreak.
Hitting out at Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav for observing 'Garib Adhikar Diwas' Union Minister and BJP leader Nityanand Rai on Sunday, said that the BJP virtual rally is not a "political rally" but a rally which has been organised to inform people about the work Central government has undertaken after the completion of one year of Modi 2.0 government.
Rai also said, "Does RJD have a right to observe 'Garib Adhikar Diwas', the party has sucked the blood of the poor! Persecuted the poor! Due to the misrule of RJD in Bihar, there has been a mass migration of the poor from state. Both RJD and Congress have not done a single work for the poor in the state,"
(With inputs from agencies)
