PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is set to launch his ‘Pragati Yatra’ from West Champaran district on Monday, days after leader of Opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav took a potshot at the CM’s yatra, accusing him of wasting public money.Nitish will kick-start his ‘Pragati Yatra’ from Valmikinagar. The first phase of his tour, covering six districts, will focus on informing the public about the development works completed during his 19-year tenure as CM and unveiling future plans.The selected districts for the first phase are West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali. The first phase will conclude on December 28 and CM will return to Patna.Tejashwi, mocking Nitish’s tour, referred to it as the CM’s ‘Alvida Yatra’ (goodbye tour), alleging that the people no longer wanted him as their chief minister. “People have grown tired of him, which is why his popularity has drastically decreased,” he said.The former deputy chief minister recalled Nitish’s statement during the 2020 assembly elections when he claimed it would be his ‘last election.’ “This shows that his tenure is likely coming to an end and that this is nothing more than a farewell tour,” Tejashwi asserted. He also questioned the rationale behind expenses on such tours. “The state government has released Rs.225 crore for a 15-day tour of the CM. What purpose will it serve? The people of Bihar wants to know,” he added.Kumar emphasised the importance of women in the state’s development and claimed the ‘Pragati Yatra’ would be fruitful, providing the CM an opportunity to gather direct feedback on government development initiatives.He also questioned Tejashwi for not raising concerns when CM Nitish embarked on the Nishchay Yatra and Samadhan Yatra during the time the RJD was part of the grand alliance government in Bihar. “Was that not the misuse of public money?” he asked.Senior officials in West Champaran revealed that Nitish will begin his tour from Ghotwatola and Shikarpur in Valmikinagar, with Ghotwatola being a Tharu-dominated village.
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