Chief minister Nitish Kumar addresses the Adhikar Rally at Gandhi Maidan last November. Telegraph picture

Ignoring the ongoing session of the state legislature, many JD(U) leaders have chosen to camp in Delhi to ensure the success of Adhikar Rally at Ramlila ground on March 17.

At least 12 legislators are camping in Delhi and working towards mobilising as much rallyists as possible. They are busy holding public meetings in localities with sizeable population of Bihar origin.

Asked about skipping the ongoing session of the state legislature, Neeraj Kumar, a JD(U) MLC camping in Delhi, said: “It’s true that we are missing the session but nothing is bigger than the party. This is the first time that a rally is being held in the name of development. It has a national perspective and no JD(U) leader can compromise on it.”

The JD(U) leaders, who are camping in Delhi for the past three days and would stay put for the next three to four days include Sanjay Jha, MLA Krishna Kumar from Amnaur, MLC Krishna Singh, MLA Santosh Kumar Nirala from Rajpur, MLA Arun Manjhi from Masaurhi, MLA Dawood Ali from Dumraon, MLC Sanjay Gandhi and others.

Sanjay Jha, a confidant of chief minister Nitish Kumar, has taken the initiative to popularise the rally through social networking sites.

Jha said: “Nitishji has set the agenda of development and now everyone has to follow it. You like or you do not like it. If you ignore, then it would become very difficult to sustain in social and political ways.” He added: “There is excitement on the face of every JD(U) leader I know. Many leaders are skipping the session because of camping in Delhi but that is not the concern. Once the party achieves its goal of getting the special category status for Bihar, everyone will get the benefit, including Odisha, Jharkhand and Bengal.”

He also clarified that this time, no special train or special coach has been booked by the JD(U) leaders.

If a legislator misses the ongoing session for a day, their daily allowance of Rs 1,000 is deducted. Rajeshwar Raj, the MLA from Karakat, said: “It is not a big deal if our allowance is deducted. After all, we are skipping it for a cause. No matter how it comes, the party is bigger than our personal loss. I have already visited places like Najafgarh, Dwarka, Noida, Uttam Nagar and Karol Bagh. I am again going to visit Delhi on March 14.”

However, rural works minister Bhim Singh said his work would not be affected owing to absence in the session. “I will attend my department question-answers days on Mondays and Thursdays.”