by Suresh Pd Nikhar
Gaya: Anger is boiling in Bhokahan Panchayat of Dumria block, Gaya district, where villagers have declared a complete boycott of the upcoming assembly elections over the government’s failure to build a long-pending bridge on the Chehra Pahara River.
Frustrated residents say the demand has been raised for the past two assembly elections, but leaders — from local MLA Deepa Manjhi to Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Bihar Minister Dr. Santosh Kumar Suman, MP Abhay Kushwaha, and former Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary — have only offered hollow assurances.
“Until a bridge is constructed, no political party will get our votes,” villagers asserted, accusing their representatives of deliberate neglect despite repeated pleas.
The crisis turned starkly visible last night when Badri Prasad, a villager suffering from severe stomach pain, had to be carried on a cot across the river due to lack of access. Only after crossing the river on foot was he admitted to Dumriya Health Centre.
Local leader Sunil Rajak said, “We have pleaded with the MLA and MP many times. But in emergencies, people are still forced to risk lives, carrying patients on cots across the river. The government’s silence is cruel.”
With frustration turning into open rebellion, the boycott call is being seen as a direct challenge to Bihar’s ruling establishment, exposing the stark gap between tall promises and ground realities.
