Nitish warns of bid to sabotage his reforms campaign

‘Some intellectual people neither believe in Bapu nor in WHO report about the ill-effects of liquor’

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday said a handful of people wanted to sabotage his ongoing social reforms campaign and cautioned women volunteers to be alert against such attempts.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar inspects a stall during in Purnia during his social reform campaign on Saturday. (ANI)

He was addressing a gathering of jeevika didis (women volunteers from self-help groups) from four districts of Araria, Katihar, Kishanganj and Purnia at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Purnia.

“Some intellectual people neither believe in Bapu (father of Nation) nor in WHO (World Health Organization) report about the ill-effects of liquor,” Kumar said.

“Besides our officials, 34 drones and 3-4 helicopter drones have been deployed to look for those still involved in manufacturing and smuggling of liquor,” he said.

Talking about social evils such as dowry and child marriage, Kumar cited Centre’s proposed policy regarding enhancement of the age of marriage for girls.

Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad and minister for excise and prohibition Sunil Kumar also spoke on the occasion, besides others.

Chief secretary Amir Subhani, director general of police S K Singhal, additional chief secretary (excise and prohibition) K K Pathak accompanied the CM.

Kumar had started his social reforms campaign on December 22 last year from East Champaran, the place where Mahatma Gandhi started his satyagrah movement against the British rulers.