Special category status: BJP holds rail roko in Bihar

, Feb 28: The

wing of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hold a Rail Roko agitation today to demand special category status for Bihar.

What triggered the fresh protests is the Centre's announcement of special status to Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh.

As part of the protest, many Express and local trains are stopped at different stations across the state. "We have organised this agitation to demand special category status for Bihar. If Seemandhra can get it, why not Bihar?" Asha Sinha, Danapur MLA, told NDTV.

"Every BJP worker has been told to look after the passengers. This is a symbolic protest to alert the central government. We won't stop the trains for long as these passengers are my brothers and sisters," BJP leader Janardhan Kumar told NDTV.

The Janata Dal (United), the rulng party of Bihar, too has called for a Bihar bandh on March 2 for the special category status. On Sunday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a unique appeal to the people of Bihar by asking them to come out of their houses and clap on utensils for five minutes on the day of the bandh.

"The sound of utensils will echo to the policymakers sitting in Delhi who decided to deprive special status to Bihar despite all the formalities in this regard", said Nitish Kumar.

Kumar slammed the UPA government for depriving special status to Bihar but granting it to Seemandhra after carving out Telangana.

Kumar also said that the special status is a right of the people of Bihar. The chief minister also made it very clear to his party supporters that they should not report to any violence during the bandh.

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