Bihar yesterday claimed to have formed the world’s largest human chain with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, political leaders, cutting across party lines, and citizens held each other’s hand to reaffirm commitment towards liquor ban. The 45-minute-long human chain started at 12:15 PM at the historic Gandhi Maidan when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar floated colourful balloons, and ended at 1 PM. The chain of people was formed to express unity in support of prohibition.
Opposition BJP which lent support to the human chain joined the queue in Siwan, where their two-day state executive committee meeting is beginning today.
Top BJP leaders Sushil Kumar Modi, Union minister of state Ramkripal Yadav, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Prem Kumar, party national spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain and party MP from Maharajganj Janardan Singh Sigriwal joined each other’s hand in Siwan as part of human chain.
Bihar was written in dark black colour in the middle of the map so that a clear picture of the event is captured through ISRO satellite, drones and helicopters.
The human chain is estimated to cover a distance of 11,292 km involving two crore citizens.
The Bihar human chain is tipped to be the world’s largest so far. The previous record is of 1050 km long human chain which was formed in Bangladesh in 2004.
Bihar is witnessing complete ban on alcohol, domestic as well Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) since April 2016.
Excitement of the event was visible among school children who stood in the human chain in Patna and elsewhere.
Tabishi Sinha, a student of DAV BSEB school of Patna, hailed the event to express strong resolve against liquor.
“It’s historic that all our schoolmates and other students have joined hands with each other to send a loud and clear message of ‘no’ to alcohol,” said Tabishi, whose school stood at the stretch from CM’s house to J D Women’s’ college.
BJP which had decided to participate in the human chain programe said they were against liquor but would continue to raise voice against some stringent clauses in new Excise Law, 2016 like arrest of all adults in event of recovery of liquor bottle in a house, community fine and seizure of premises if even an empty liquor bottle is found.
BJP, which has been vocal against the liquor law, came in support of it after Prime Minister Narendra Modi patted Kumar on prohibition at the 350th Prakash Parva function on January 5.
Talking to reporters while standing in human chain in Siwan, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said “we always stood in support of liquor ban. It’s due to pressure created by BJP that the state government clamped a total ban on alcohol, domestic as well Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL).”
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