The Opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar has announced plans to form a human chain across the state to express support for the farmers protesting at Delhi’s borders and challenged chief minister Nitish Kumar to speak up for the “annadata (food-giver)”.

“We are asking Nitish Kumar why is he mum on the farmers’ protest? We want to ask him whether he supports the three black farm laws that affect 80 per cent of the people of the country. He is not even uttering two words on the issue. Why is he so helpless? The central government has brought these laws not for the annadata, but for the fund-data (fund-givers),” RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said.

The leader of the Opposition in the Assembly was speaking to journalists in Patna after chairing a meeting with the allies to discuss the formation of the human chain.

All the members of the Grand Alliance — the RJD, Congress, CPI-ML, CPI and the CPM — will participate in the human chain that will be formed from 12:30pm to 1pm on Saturday. Apart from party members and supporters, common people have been urged to join the chain. Coordination committees have been formed in all 38 districts and preparations are going on in full swing to make the event a success.

“This human chain will not mark the end of our support for the farmers. We will keep supporting them with our relentless struggle,” Tejashwi said.

Nitish has had a way with human chains of record length over the recent years, forming them every January since 2017 in support of prohibition and environment protection, and against child marriage, dowry and other ills.

Tejashwi asked Nitish to bring back the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act his government had repealed in 2006.

He said the chief minister should say whether the scrapping of the act had benefited the farmers or harmed them instead.

“The condition of the farmers in Bihar is miserable. They migrated to other states to work as labourers after the APMC Act was repealed. They never got the MSP (minimum support price) for their produce. The three new farm laws will now turn them from labourers to beggars,” the RJD leader said.

He also attacked Nitish for being busy in “protecting his chair”, which has brought a stagnancy in the government and stalled development.

“The chief minister is going to hike diesel prices in the state. This will further hurt the farmers. He is murdering democracy and implicating his opponents in false cases,” Tejashwi said.

Congress Legislature Party leader Ajit Sharma pointed out that his party and Rahul Gandhi were standing firmly with the farmers and were determined to oppose the three controversial farm laws.

“It’s time that the central government understands that the farmers do not want the new laws. The Congress is going to wage a struggle from the roads to Parliament to ensure that these black laws are repealed,” Sharma said.

Later in the day, CPI-ML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said Bihar and Uttar Pradesh would have to stand with Punjab and Haryana to ensure the victory of the protesting farmers.

He also appealed to the common people to join the human chain.