Patna, Dec 29 (IANS) The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Tuesday called for a state-wide shutdown in Bihar Jan 28 to protest hunger deaths, poverty and rising prices in Bihar during the last four years of the Nitish Kumar-led government.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad gave the shutdown call after a meeting of the party’s MPs, legislators, leaders and workers here.

“RJD will be observing statewide bandh (shutdown) Jan 28 to protest the hunger deaths, poverty and price rise in Bihar,” he said.

The RJD will also approach other political parties to support the strike not only in Bihar but at the national level.

Lalu Prasad said the strike was just a beginning of the long agitation by his party to expose the “failures” and “double standards” of the Nitish Kumar government. “After the state-wide strike, the RJD leaders and workers will launch a ‘jail bharo’ (courting arrest) agitation,” he said.

Terming the Nitish Kumar-led government “anti-poor and inefficient”, he said the party leaders and workers will go to villages and inform the people of its failures.

The RJD chief also targeted the Congress, blaming it for price rise in the country. He maintained that RJD’s alliance with the Lok Janshakti Party of Ram Vilas Paswan will continue and both parties will together contest the next assembly polls due in November 2010.