PATNA/BEGUSARAI: Amid protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday announced he would join the Congress’s “Palayan Roko, Naukari Do” padyatra in Begusarai on Monday.
The move is seen as a gesture of support towards the state’s youth and a strategic push to unseat the NDA govt. The padyatra, led by NSUI national incharge Kanhaiya Kumar, reached Begusarai on its 22nd day, after passing through several districts across Bihar. It began last month from Bhitiharwa Ashram in West Champaran district.
In a video message posted from his official X handle, Rahul highlighted the mounting problems faced by the youth — unemployment, inflation, paper leaks, dwindling govt jobs and increasing privatisation. Urging young people to join the march in large numbers, he said, “We want to mobilise your energy and build a new Bihar.” He called on participants to wear white t-shirts to visually represent “the spirit of the youths of Bihar, their struggles, and their suffering,” and added that the objective was to show the world their collective strength.
“We want to make Bihar a state of opportunities,” Rahul said, encouraging the youth to come together to bring about political change.
State Congress president Rajesh Kumar said Rahul would participate in three key events in the state on Monday. “Apart from joining the padyatra in Begusarai, Rahul will attend a conference on safeguarding the Constitution at S K Memorial Hall in Patna and visit the party headquarters to address party workers,” he said.
“It is not a coincidence that Rahul has decided to join the ‘padyatra’ in Begusarai. He could have chosen Bhitiharwa in West Champaran from where it began, or joined Kanhaiya at its conclusion,” said S C Sharma, a retired professor. He added that the Congress may be preparing to field Kanhaiya from one of the local seats and position him to help revitalise the party in the state. Begusarai is Kanhaiya’s home district.
Kanhaiya had made his political debut from Begusarai in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but lost to BJP’s Giriraj Singh by a staggering margin of over four lakh votes.
Former Begusarai MLA and Congress leader Amita Bhushan said the focus of the party was on core issues affecting the masses. “The primary objective is to highlight the problems of people including vanishing jobs, declining education standards and migration. Rahul Ji’s support will bolster the morale of party workers,” she said.
Abhishek Kumar, state president of the Congress teachers’ cell, said he recently spoke with Kanhaiya but received no confirmation about his electoral intentions. “He gave no indication about plans to contest from here. Congress cannot be the B-team of any party now. If the INDIA bloc comes to power in the state after the assembly elections, Kanhaiya must be the deputy chief minister,” he said.
