The Opposition Rashtriya Janata Party (RJD) in Bihar staged a statewide fast on May Day to press chief minister Nitish Kumar’s government to bring back migrant workers stranded in other states.

Led by RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, his mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi, the party’s Bihar unit president Jagadanand Singh and former state president Ram Chandra Purbey, thousands of party workers and supporters participated in the symbolic fast at their respective homes for two hours.

“This was a symbolic fast that started at 10am and ended at 12pm to register our protest against the insensitivity of the Nitish Kumar government towards migrant workers and not bringing them back despite the Centre easing inter-state movement regulations. We chose Labour Day for it. All of us fasted at our respective residences while maintaining social distancing,” Tejashwi said.

“More than 25 lakh workers from Bihar, including a large number of labourers, are stranded in other states. We have to bring them back. We ask the Bihar government and the central government to bring them back immediately. Our fast is a wake-up call to the state government. All workers, leaders, legislators office-bearers of our party observed the fast,” Tejashwi said._Tejashwi, who was the deputy chief minister during 2015-17 while the Grand Alliance of RJD, Janata Dal United (JDU) and Congress was in power, pointed out that Jharkhand was bringing back its workers from Telangana by a special train, and hit out at the chief minister.

“Will you always remain a hanger-on of the Bharatiya Janata Party or take benefit of your inner conscience, power and experience? You had been a railway minister too. Your governments are in the state and at the Centre. If Jharkhand can get a train they why cannot your double engine Bihar government,” Tejashwi asked Nitish.

The RJD leader and younger son of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi ridiculed the state government for hesitating in bringing back migrant workers due to scarcity of buses and high expenditure and offered to muster 2000 buses if it wanted.

Meanwhile, Nitish was engaged in a daylong videoconferencing with senior officials, district magistrates and superintendents of police over the emerging pandemic situation in the state, and also preparations to bring back migrant workers.

So far the Bihar government has began to make arrangements for migrant workers, students and other people arriving at the state’s borders in view of the relief granted by the Centre in inter-state travel. They will be medically screened in the districts along the state borders and then taken in dedicated vehicles to their home districts.

Those arriving in this manner will be further transported in other vehicles to quarantine centres in their respective blocks, and their names, addresses, and other information would be registered. A vehicle pool is being developed in all the districts at places outside the main city area. People will be transported in the vehicles while following social distancing norms.

However, there is no clarity by the Bihar government about how it will move to bring back the workers and students. Whether it will use buses or will request for trains. Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi has already requested the Centre to run dedicated trains for the purpose.