Madhubani voters put own manifesto before ‘netas’

MADHUBANI: Over 2.7 lakh people of Madhubani parliamentary constituency have come with an innovative idea of their own manifesto and put it before all candidates fighting the Lok Sabha election asking them to implement it. 

In fact, the idea of people's manifesto was mooted by RJD candidate Abdul Bari Siddiqui through various campaigns, including missed call campaign, phone calling, Lok Chaupal (focused group discussions) with various groups (weavers, Madhubani painting artists, farmers, youths, working professionals, lawyers, doctors, professors, women etc), and 2.7 lakh voters put their demands before the candidates. 

Siddiqui, who is fighting against BJP veteran Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav and Ghulam Ghaus of JD (U) who was earlier with RJD, himself talked to over 15,000 voters on the phone in the last two months to know their demands. 

Creation of Vidyapati International University, Baba Nagarjuna Research Centre, socio-cultural centres like Kapleshwar Sthan and Uchaith Sthan are on the main agenda mentioned in the people's manifesto. People have also talked reopening of sugar mill and spinning mill as well as demand for exploring the possibilities of the auction of sugar and spinning mills. 

The creation of separate industrial estate for weavers, modernization of alternate education centers like madrassas and Sanskrit schools, Right to Education for every child under 15 years are also part of the people's manifesto. 

"Madhubani is a land of Vidyapati and Kalidas. If it is developed properly, it would be one of the major spiritual centres of Eastern India", said Bachaspati Jha, a voter. At present, some of the newly created circuits like Ramayana, Sufi and Shakti peeths are yet to be developed completely in various parts of the state, said Vijaya Devi, a resident of Pali village in the constituency. 

She further said Madhubani has a very high number of malnutrition cases among women and children of remote areas. "So, the creation of a block-level nutrition rehabilitation centre is also a need of the hour," she said. 

The concept of village haat is diminishing in major parts of the state. "We have included in the people's agenda about the creation of Mithila Haat on the pattern of Delhi Haat for organized marketing of local products," said Anish of Madhubani.

Source: TOI