Kushwaha begins Muzaffarpur to Patna march over AES deaths

RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha Tuesday began a march from here to the state capital in protest against the Nitish Kumar government's alleged failure to contain the outbreak and spread of brain fever which claimed the lives of more than 150 children last month.

The "Nitish bhagao bhavishya bachao padayatra" commenced around noon from a memorial of revolutionary freedom fighter Khudiram Bose where Kushwaha staged a brief demonstration, flanked by scores of supporters, shouting slogans and carrying placards, before marching ahead.

"Brain fever has been striking the state year after year, killing innocent children. But Kumar has failed to take any concrete steps to check the same during his 14 years in power", the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party chief alleged.

"Children do not merely belong to their respective families. In them is vested the future of the state and the country. Since the chief minister has abjectly failed to protect their lives, we are taking out this march which shall conclude at Patna on March 6. We wish to put moral pressure on Kumar so that he resigns and makes way for a new leadership that is capable of meeting challenges", the former Union minister said.

More than half of the 40 districts in Bihar have been affected by the outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) with Muzaffarpur bearing the brunt. The district has accounted for more than 130 casualties, many of these including children admitted to hospitals here for lack of adequate medical facilities in nearby districts.