Over a hundred anganwadi workers met RJD boss Lalu Prasad on Friday to complain against chief minister Nitish Kumar who they claimed was not hearing out their demands.
Sitting in front of Lalu at 10 Circular Road, they shouted slogans - calling him god, and criticising Nitish, the RJD's ally in the Grand Alliance government.
The anganwadi workers are demanding that the money they have not received for the past 13 months be released and their grant be increased. The anganwadi workers get honorariums, not salaries, as they are not recognised as government employees. The honorarium is shared monthly between the state government and the Centre. Bihar's share in the honorarium is Rs 750 while the Centre gives Rs 3,200.
Assembled under the banner of Bihar Rajya Anganwadi Karamchari Union, the workers reached Lalu's residence at 9.30am. Slogans such as " Desh ka neta kaisa ho, Lalu Yadav jaisa ho" echoed in the 10 Circular Road campus before the RJD chief came out to give the workers a hearing around 10am.
"We worship Lalu ji as god, he offered us sweets and water, whereas Nitish Kumar asked his police to beat us when we were sitting on dharna," said Sangeeta Kumari, an anganwadi worker from Vaishali district. "We are here at Lalu ji's residence because he is the one who can fulfil our demands. Nitish cannot do this."
Sangeeta was referring to the gathering of anganwadi workers in Gardanibagh last month when police charged at them with batons.
The Telegraph asked the workers why they felt Nitish would not listen to their demands, Shanti Devi said: "We do not have any faith in Nitish Kumar because Lalu ji is the messiah of poor people. Laluji give women respect. We were sent behind bars for 24 hours and Nitish's police had beaten us mercilessly. Only Lalu ji can fulfil our demands."
Anganwadi workers are primarily involved in childcare and mothercare, catering to kids aged till six years. The Indian government had started the anganwadi schemein 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services programme to combat child hunger and malnutrition.
Assuring the anganwadi workers of looking into their demands, Lalu called principal secretary, social welfare, Vandana Kini from his landline number at home. He asked the official to look into the matter, and also assured the workers of speaking to Nitish.
During the recently concluded budget session of the state legislature, the Opposition had raised the demands of anganwadi workers. The BJP also raised the matter of giving the workers permanent jobs and increase their grants.
On February 8 and 9, anganwadi workers had staged dharna at the block levels, followed by another in the districts on February 28. Since March 28, they are on indefinite strike across the state.
Lalu, on the faith anganwadi workers repose in him instead of the chief minister, said: "It's nothing as such, the chief minister is the ultimate authority and he will take the decision in this matter. I will also speak to him to find out the ways to solve their (anganwadi workers') problems."
He, however, stressed that the anganwadi programme is a Centre-sponsored scheme and the kind of grant the workers get is insufficient to survive in today's world.
"They are raising issues that concern their life, they get less grant," Lalu said. "It is up to the Centre to regularise their job. It is the Centre which has started schemes such as Beti Bachao and Beti Padhao, so it's their duty to increase their grants. The state cannot bear the expenses as it is already burdened with other expenditures."
