Dalits, Mahadalits living in pathetic conditions in Bihar: PK

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor said, on Friday, in Patna that Dalits and Mahadalits, two backward classes in the state, were in terrible condition and had been used for politics by leaders for more than a decade. He further highlighted corruption and bureaucracy as two persisting problems, noting that officials had replaced criminals who ran wild in Lalu's days, writes ETV Bharat's Amit Bhelari.

Patna: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Friday slammed the Bihar government claiming that the Dalits and Mahadalits of the state are surviving in inhuman conditions. He also alleged that politicians are doing politics over these two communities for more than a decade.

“The condition of Dalits and Mahadalits are really pathetic and they live inhuman conditions. Whenever I visit their house and tolas, I discover that they don't even have a Chauki (wooden bed) and they sleep on the floor. During the rainy season, they live on wooden pieces for three to four months in the hut itself. This is the condition in Bihar and politicians of Bihar are doing politics in the name of Dalits and Mahadalits for the past 10 to 12 years,” Kishor said.

PK is all out to improve the political discourse in the state by walking for more than 3500 kilometers to reach every panchayat and block. He is doing the foot march to identify the right people at the grassroots. Kishor also alleged that the most common issue he is finding during his foot march is bureaucracy and corruption.

“Two things are common everywhere, one is bureaucracy and another is corruption. Be it the common man or people's representative, everywhere they are saying that bureaucracy has taken over the entire system and things are happening in whatever way they want.

The people of Champaran have not forgotten Lalu's Jungle Raj and they are comparing this regime with the present government. In many places, people are saying that the present situation is worse than Lalu's jungle Raj. Officers and bureaucrats have replaced criminals and exploitation are more than Lalu's regime,” Kishor said.

Kishor is currently undertaking his 'padayatra' as part of his Jan Suraaj movement that will cover the entire state of Bihar in a span of about one and a half years. He commenced the ‘padayatra’ from the Gandhi Ashram in Bhitiharwa, West Champaran on Gandhi Jayanti.