Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Thursday wrote an open letter addressing the people of Bihar, inviting them to join his cycle march against the government starting from Gaya on Saturday.

Tejashwi urged the people to join him in the fight against rising crime against women and incidents of rape. In the letter, Tejashwi said the government will not do anything to curb crime and the people themselves have to take the initiative.

"Everyone knows the present condition of Bihar, newspapers are filled with reports of bloodshed. Mothers, daughters and sisters are not safe in any part of the state. At some places, the daughters are being raped and at others, women's dignity is being attacked under the nose of the government. There are kidnappings and riots as well. The way murders are taking place it seems we are living in a state ruled by criminals," Tejashwi said in the letter.

The leader of Opposition in the Assembly will start his cycle march, christened "NDA Bhagao Beti Bachao", from Gaya after offering prayers in the Mahabodhi Temple followed by a public meeting at the Gandhi Maidan there. From there he will pedal to Jehanabad, covering a distance of 55km.

The young RJD leader said: "I really feel disappointed when I see that the person (read Nitish Kumar) who keeps sermonising on morality closes his eyes and protects the accused persons. The chief minister of Bihar who claims that he will not compromise on three 'Cs' - corruption, crime and communalism - seems to be celebrating the three Cs."

Tejashwi pointed out that Nitish has been ruling the state for the past 13 years and there was not a single sector with which people were happy. He alleged that Nitish has failed in the fields of education, health, safety to the people, development, and employment and there is fear, empty stomachs and corruption.

"The government is so shameless that instead of taking the responsibility to stop crime, they blame the RJD, which always thought for the people in their 15 years of rule. The person who has cheated the people's mandate, and the BJP, which has come through the backdoor, have not yet managed to get special status category for Bihar. Does the government have any right to rule the state any longer? It is the land of Gautam Buddha, who taught us peace. We have to come forward to save the rich culture of Bihar," Tejashwi said in the letter, adding that Nitish's conscience "is dead now".

Tejashwi's march will end in Patna on July 30. He will address four public meetings during his campaign.