Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar attends the last janata durbar at his 1 Anne Marg residence in Patna on Monday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Jan. 12: Bihar chief minister Nitisih Kumar unveiled the plan to “take the government to people’s doorstep” on the sidelines of the last janata durbar organised at his 1 Anne Marg residence today.

Now on, the chief minister would organise what he had officially termed “Janata ke durbar mein mukhyamantri (CM in people’s court)” programme in the villages he would visit from January 19.

“I will live in tents prepared by prisoners of Buxar jail in the villages. I will have night halt in the villages and will listen to the problem of the people,” Nitish said, ridiculing the Opposition RJD’s allegation that the chief minister would indulge in political drama in poor villages by accommodating himself in “Swiss cottages equipped with five-star facility”.

Nitish’s Vikas Yatra, in which he promises to take the government at people’s doorsteps, has been planned meticulously. There is an arrangement to accommodate at least 300 officials, including security personnel, at the camps being set up to keep the chief minister.

Nitish would also probably hold cabinet meetings on due date in the villages itself during the Vikas Yatra — an exercise that has never been experimented. Nitish would begin the Vikas Yatra from a remote west Champaran village where he would stay for two days from January 19.

The entire state has been divided into five zones to ensure that the chief minister could cover maximum blocks and districts during the Vikas Yatra prior to the imposition of the electoral code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls expected in April.

Important departmental secretaries, district magistrates and superintendents of police would accompany Nitish listening to problems of people and solving them.

The second phase of the chief minister’s Vikas Yatra would commence from January 29. Nitish would present himself in the “people’s court” early in the morning and would keep listening to them till night. His night stay would witness cultural programmes from local folk artistes.

The opposition RJD has attacked his move describing it as “misuse of public money to promote Nitish’s political ambitions”. Commenting on the Opposition’s remark, Nitish quipped: “I am going to villages when Laluji has gone to Japan. Let us see how people assess us.”

Nitish’s “innovative” Vikas Yatra is being described as a “master stroke” to increase his popularity with the masses ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The well-planned programme would give him opportunity to directly talk to the masses. Moreover, he would also review various development schemes being carried out at the grassroots level.