BIHAR is sitting on the volcanic eruption of coronavirus as the reverse migration is reaching its peak. The health infrastructure is in shamble in Bihar and the government is ill prepared to meet the situation.

The pathetic conditions of the quarantine centers all across Bihar belies the rosy pictures presented from Patna by holding video conferences by the chief minister. Stories of fleeing of migrant worker from quarantine centers of Katihar, Samastipur, Sitamarhi, Begusarai, Darbhanga and many other places are the daily news of the newspapers. What is absent from the people’s gaze, is the loot of allotted money to run the quarantine centers. The two inmates of quarantine center of Darbhanga who dared to raise the issue of quality of the food, were locked up in a room and beaten up. The district unit of the CPI(M) intervened and brought this issue before the district administration.
As the train loads of migrant workers arereaching thedifferent parts of Bihar every day, the Bihar government has simply no arrangements in place to properly receive them and provide them food, water and transportation for their destination.

In such a depressing scenario, the Bihar is staring at the coming exponential growth of coronavirus. The latest test report shows the spike in numbers of infected people. The widely circulated Hindi daily “The Hindustan” reported that the danger of community transmission of Corona Virus is looming large. According to the district wise data published by the paper, released by the health department of Bihar govt.  Patna has 217, Rohtas-201, Madhubani-176, Begusarai-159,Muger-148, Khagaria-143, Katihar-134, Buxar-114, Banka-106, Gopalganj-101 infected people.

According to the said report there are two lakh three layered masks, 40 litres of sanitiser, 1.43 lacks PPE kits, 2827 oxometer etc. There is no report about ventilators, number of ICU beds, test centres etc. Report says that the demand orders for PPE Kits and ventilators have been issued. It is like digging well to quench the immediate thirst.
If the situation is such at Patna, we can very well imagine the plight of front line fighters at the district levels.In the meantime the deputy chief minister, Sushil Modi, has come out with a proposal of a holding assembly election online.

CPI(M) and other opposition parties have criticised this idea and exposed the real intention of perpetuating its rule by hook or by crook. The ruling coalition is quite aware of the general mood of the common people and the daily tragic saga of migrantworkers unfolding before the country, has made them jittery of facing the people.

The entire JD(U)-BJP propaganda machine is engaged in deflecting the people’s attention from their miseries by harping on 15 years rule of Lalu Prasad and putting the entire blame on Nehru-Lalu family. T

MOVEMENTS AND AGITATIONS

CPI(M) and the Left parties are at the forefront in raising the people’s issue by organising state wide protest activities in an innovative way observing the guidelines of lockdown. On  May 22, CPI(M) Bihar state committee organisedpanchayat level protest activities raising the pathetic conditions of the quarantine centres and corruption, raising the demands to provide Rs 7,500 per month during the entire lockdown period to all non-income tax payees, compensation to the family members of migrant workers who lost their lives in this period, provide 10 kg free ration to each and other essentials. Bihar witnessed massive response at the ground level. People came outside their houses having red flags in their hands fluttering high in the air.  At state headquarter Patna, Party state secretary, Awadhesh Kumar, CC member-Arun Kumar Mishra, Patna district secretary- Manoj Kumar Chandrawansi and others led the protest at Tamtam Padao, Gandhi Maidan. Leaders lambasted the centre and state governments, as they failed to fulfil the basic needs of the migrant workers, common people and other sections of the society. Observing all India call of central trade unions, CITU state general secretary and CPI(M) state secretariat member,  Ganesh Shankar Singh, state president of CITU-Deepak Bhattacharya and other trade union leaders led the protest activities at Patna High Court main gate.  Similarly,other state secretariat members and state leaders led the protest activities in various panchayat and at district headquarters.

On May20, SFI held protest demonstrations demanding waiving off the colleges, school, university fees for three months, raising voices against the digital-divide; DYFI on issue of jobs; AIAWU raising the issues of MNREGA workers and others observed the protest activities.  At Patna SFI state committee member, Nishant, DYFI state president-Manoj Chandrawansi, AIAWU state president, Devendra Chaurasia participated in the protest at three different places.

Similarly, the call given by Bihar state kisan sabha to organise protest activities at district headquarters was responded in a massive way. CITU also extended their support. Binod Jha, secretary of Bihar state kisan Sabha, GS Singh, state general secretary of CITU, Arun Kumar Mishra-vice president of CITU and others participated in the protest action at Buddha Smriti Park, Patna.

On June 1, observing the nationwide call of AIDWA, Bihar state committee organisedsuccessfulprotest programmes across Bihar.The main demands of AIDWA are: provide financial assistance and interest free loan to women of poor families; set up domestic industry. Provide Rs 15,000 honorarium to jeevika workers and others. Bihar AIDWA also demanded that Bihar’s daughter: “cycle girl-Jyoti” who brought her father back from Gurugram to Bihar’s Darbhanga on a bicycle, be given an appreciation amount of five lakh rupees, free quality education and that she should be honoured. In Patna, protest was conducted at Ashiana More, where AIDWA’s vice-president and CPI(M) state secretariat member, Rampari, state leaders of AIDWA, Sunita Sinha, Sarita Pandey, DYFI state president, Manoj Chandrwansi and others participated in the protest action.

While addressing the protest, Rampari said that the lockdown has affected women’s from all regions. People are jobless; a serious problem has arisen especially for migrant women workers and that the government should be more vigilant.  She also highlighted the spike in domestic violence, sexual harassment during lockdown period against women.