Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sat on a dharna today in a bid to put pressure on the Centre to grant special status for the state over which the ruling JD(U) staged a 'Bihar bandh' that disrupted normal life.
Seeking political capital out of the special status demand ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Kumar urged the people to fight to their last as it was an issue of "dignity and prestige."
At the end of his five-hour-long 'Satyagraha' at a platform set up in front of Mahatma Gandhi's bust at Gandhi maidan, Kumar alleged that Bihar has been been "discriminated" by the Centre.
"They ignored our legitimate demand for special status but gave it to Seemandhra," he said, addressing party workers.
The Chief Minister claimed that the bandh was fully successful as the people participated "in a voluntary manner."
Enthusiastic JD(U) workers took to streets from early morning forcing closure of shops and market establishments in the districts.
The protesters burnt tyres to block vehicular traffic on busy streets in Patna and the districts and prevented movement of dozens of trains, railway sources said.
Some JD(U) supporters in the state capital stormed into the 'Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport' demanding closure of the ticket counter in support of their agitation against discrimination to Bihar, airport sources said.
Hundreds of intermediate examinees were a harried lot as they were unable to catch trains for their examination centres in the districts.
There was no no incident of violence reported from anywhere in Bihar, police sources said.
"All of you must fight together by making it an issue of dignity and prestige for the state," Kumar told his party workers.
"Bihar people too have right to develop and prosper for which we need incentives like special status," he added.
An all-party resolution on this was passed by the legislature a few years ago and the party had submitted to the Centre a memorandum with signature of over one crore people, the chief minister said.
The Centre understood merits of the demand and set up the Raghuram Rajan Panel which identified Bihar as one of the most backward states, he said and blamed the Congress for shelving the demand.
The chief minister did not spare his erstwhile ally BJP either saying the latter should have pleaded to the Centre to give special status to Bihar when it was given to Seemandhra which would not get without BJP's support.
