Tiwary, who recently raised the CUB issue with the PM to seek his intervention to set up the university at Motihari, said here on Sunday that Manmohan Singh told him that the Centre wants the CUB in Gaya as it is a suitable place.

Stating that a unanimous resolution was passed by the Bihar Assembly Tiwary warned the UPA government of dire consequences if the demand of the Nitish government is ignored.

Meanwhile, Central University of Bihar (CUB) Struggle Committee on Sunday organised a protest-cum-warning march in Gaya to press for the establishment of the Central University of Bihar in the district and not Motihari as proposed by the Bihar government.

The Committee has threatened to intensify its agitation if the Bihar government continues to insist on the CUB establishment at Motihari.

It needs to be recalled that, among other things, the Site Selection Committee, comprising experts, has selected Gaya on account of infrastructural advantage and earthquake resistance.

While Motihari falls in seismic zone four, Gaya is much less prone to earthquake. Moreover, whereas 1,000 acres of extremely fertile land would go non-productive if the CUB was established at Motihari, the 960 acres of land in Gaya belonged to the defence ministry and was not at all in use for last several decades. Thus there would be no loss of crop yield and there would be no issue of paying compensation, which often becomes a problem for the government. The state government had to face farmers’ agitation at Nabinagar in Aurangabad district at the time of acquiring land for two power plants.

Struggle Committee Convener Vijai Kumar Mithu, announced a total bandh at Gaya on March 28.

A day earlier on Saturday, a dharna was organised outside the Gaya residence of Gaya Town MLA and urban development minister Prem Kumar. Activists also raised slogans against the local MLA for not opposing the Assembly resolution for CUB establishment at Motihari.

The problem with the NDA constituents in Gaya or entire Magadh division is that a large number of ruling Janata Dal (United) and BJP rank and file are openly opposed to the Nitish government’s move to play politics on the issue.

Reports from Motihari said that activists of Mahatma Gandhi Central University Sthapna Sangharsh Morcha on Sunday staged a dharna on railway track at Motihari railway station. The agitation paralysed the train service on Motihari-Narkatiyaganj section for a couple of hours.

Interestingly, the Railway Police had not initiated any action against those blocking the track though cases were filed against those who took part in a similar rail roko (Train Blockade) agitation by a large number of people in Kishanganj on Oct 12 last demanding land for off campus branch of Aligarh Muslim University. Those against whom FIRs were filed, included Congress MPs of Bihar and Bengal, and RJD MLAs of Bihar.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had then expressed strong displeasure over the involvement of some Congress and Trinamool Congress leaders of neighbouring Bengal in that agitation.

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