Protesters take out a procession against Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi in Motihari on Saturday. Picture by Ajit Kumar Verma

Motihari (East Champaran), April 21: Mahatma Gandhi’s karmbhoomi is up in arms against the modern day Gandhis who run the Congress.

Residents of Champaran, where the Mahatma began his satyagraha, see the Congress as the hurdle in Motihari becoming the site for the Central University of Bihar (CUB). The central government favours Gaya as the location for CUB, while chief minister Nitish Kumar has been rooting for Motihari.

Over the past two months, seldom has a day passed without an effigy of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal being burnt.

Hundreds of youths carrying placards demanding CUB greet Nitish wherever he goes during his ongoing Seva Yatra in East Champaran.

“We simply hate Sonia, Rahul, Sibal and Manmohan. How can they even think of opposing the central university in the land of Gandhi,” said Vaidyanath Singh (80), a resident of Mahadeva, the last Indian village on the border with Nepal.

The octogenarian has his own reasoning. “The Mahatma opened the first basic school at Barharwa in which Kasturba Gandhi taught as the first teacher. Many of my contemporaries and I studied in that school. If Bapu Gandhi and Mata Kasturba found the land worth for opening a school, why can’t the government of the day open a university in such an advanced age,” said Vaidyanath.

He scoffed at the Centre’s argument that it would be difficult to lure good teachers to Motihari.

Vaidyanath said: “Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, JB Kripalani, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad — all came and camped here to liberate India in those days of poor infrastructure. Now, Champaran has a four-lane 18,000km East-West corridor from Porbandar to Silchar passing through it. There is no reason for teachers not to come here. Moreover, building infrastructure is the task of the government.”

The organised and united involvement of all major political parties, including the Congress, has generated a mass movement across Champaran where political consciousness is already very high.

“We have formed a joint committee to carry out the agitation for CUB. The committee will not allow Sonia, Rahul and Manmohan to even set foot on Champaran unless they agree to open the CUB,” said Amarendra Singh, a JD(U) leader and member of the committee.

The overwhelming support in favour of CUB has created a piquant situation for the BJP as its minister and in-charge of East Champaran, Prem Kumar, represents Gaya in the Assembly. He had been maintaining silence on the issue till yesterday for fear of antagonising his electorate in Gaya where Sibal has proposed to set up the CUB. However, giving in to the overwhelming people’s sentiment, Prem Kumar announced yesterday, in the presence of Nitish: “I am with the government’s decision on CUB. It should be opened in Motihari only.”

Nitish’s arrival here was preceded by hundreds of men, women and children forming a human chain around Motihari in support of CUB. The entire Champaran region observed a bandh on the eve of Nitish’s arrival for the same reason. Be it the educated or illiterate, town dweller or village settlers, CUB has become an obsession with the people. On college campuses, in schools, court premises and the collectorate — everywhere the people are heard talking about CUB.

Politically, it is a win-win situation for Nitish Kumar. If the CUB is set up in Motihari, he will pocket the credit. If it is not set up, he will benefit from the anger of the people against the central government.