Bihar Cong to gherao Raj Bhavan on Jan 15 to protest against three farm laws

Newly appointed Bihar Congressin-charge Bhakta Charan Das on Tuesday announced that theparty would ''gherao Raj Bhavan'' on January 15 to protestagainst three farm laws.

All senior party leaders including sitting and formerMPs, MLAs, MLCs will participate in the ''Raj Bhavan gherao''programme on January 15, Das, a former Union minister said.

Farmers are protesting against three farms laws -- theFarmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on PriceAssurance and Farm Services Act, the Farmers' Produce Tradeand Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, and theEssential Commodities (Amendment) Act.

Das, who was on his maiden visit to the state afterassuming the charge, alleged that the central government isacting like an ''autocrat'' and is not ready to listen to thegrievances of people and farmers.

''We need to expedite farmers' movement in the state,''he told reporters here at party office. He was accompanied byBihar Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha, Congress legislatureparty leader Ajit Sharma, MLC Prem Chandra Mishra, spokesman HK Verma and others at the press meet.

In reply to a query on rumours of party MLAs ready tosplit, Das asserted that ''there is no question of split in ourparty... The man who is creating confusion is not even in ourparty for several years and is an outsider and he is creatingconfusion.'' Das said that he has talked to each and everylegislator over the phone and asserted that ''our every MLA isfirmly with the party''.

Admitting that the party is ''weak'' in the state, hesaid that he is here to strengthen the party right fromvillage level and ward level (in urban areas) to district andstate level and announced that the party will be holding''conferences'' from January 21 in all the nine divisions and hewill meet the workers.

''We have decided to hold conferences in all the ninedivisions from January 21 where I will be meeting partyworkers and leaders. After holding conferences at divisionallevels, the party will be holding similar programmes indistricts,'' Das said, adding that a detailed programme isbeing chalked out.

Asked who is responsible for the party and itsorganization ''weak'' in the state, the Congress leader saidthat ''we all are responsible for this. I am not holding anyparticular individual responsible for the situation in whichthe party currently is.'' ''The party has become weak in the state because ofparty leaders switching sides. But we have to strengthen theparty and its organization for which we need to uniteeveryone. I talked to senior leaders of the party and MLAs whoexpressed their opinion/views. Some of them also expressedtheir resentment over not being given ticket in the electiondespite working for a long time,'' Das said.

Asked about the time when the party's state committeewill be constituted, Das said that the committee will beformed within two months time.