RJD general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Ramkripal Yadav (second from right), along with party workers, cleans Collectorate Ghat in Patna on Saturday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Oct. 29: Chhath Puja is here and politics has begun over the biggest festival of the Biharis with the RJD accusing the government of failing to make the river ghats safe for the devotees.

After visiting over 10 ghats in Danapur, Patna Sadar and Patna City sub-divisions today, RJD general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Ramkripal Yadav came down heavily on the government for failing to meet the deadline to clean them up and make them safe for the Chhath devotees.

“It’s very disappointing to see that the people of the state, for the first time, will not be able to conduct their rituals at Collectorate ghat. This used to be one of the safest ghats,” Ramkripal said.

“This had never happened during the time of Lalu Prasad. He always ensured that the devotees did not have to face any problem,” he said, while visiting Collectorate ghat that has already been declared unsafe for the devotees.

The RJD leader said Nitish had inspected most of the ghats “while enjoying a ride on a steamer” last week. Ramkripal added: “He had then claimed that the government has made proper arrangements for the devotees. Three days since then, the district administration came out with names of 23 ghats that are dangerous. Can anybody tell me that what was the government doing for the past one year? Was it sleeping?”

The Rajya Sabha member also tried to cash in on the steamer ride by Nitish to make a point for Lalu. “When Laluji was the chief minister, he used to visit the ghats personally, not like the way Nitish has done from a steamer. Nitish’s steamer ride was almost like going on a picnic with one of his cabinet colleagues,” he added.

Leader of the opposition in Bihar Legislative Council Ghulam Gaus and former MLA and RJD youth president Shiv Chandra Ram were among others who accompanied Ramkripal to the ghats.

“I have visited a number of ghats and realised that the ongoing preparation is not up to the mark. Nitish claims that work is on and will be over before the festival begins. But this is not the reality. His claims of good governance have been exposed as contractors have not received their payments. This has affected preparations for Chhath,” the RJD leader said.