Darbhanga: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi began his Bihar tour on Thursday with the launch of the ‘Shiksha Nyay Samvad’ campaign in Darbhanga, aimed at addressing education and employment issues among Dalit and backward-class students.
However, the visit started with row as Congress leaders alleged that the police blocked his route to the Ambedkar Hostel, the originally planned venue for the event. All roads leading to the hostel were barricaded, and permission for the event was withdrawn just hours before it was scheduled to begin. As a result, the event had to be shifted to Nagar Bhawan.
Nothing can stop me, says Rahul Gandhi
Addressing the students in Darbhanga, Rahul Gandhi said, “I have come from Delhi to meet you. My aim is to share what is in my heart. The administration tried everything to stop me, they placed barricades ahead. But I reached you from the back route.” He added, “Just like they could not stop us from coming here, they will not be able to stop us in the future too. Unless they implement reservation in private institutions, we will keep moving forward and fighting.”
Taking aim at the BJP-JDU alliance in Bihar, he said, “Dalits, OBCs, and minorities face atrocities 24 hours a day.” Emphasising the exclusion of marginalised communities from mainstream systems, he stated, “90% of the country’s population must understand their strength. You are being stopped by diverting your attention. This 90% population will not find anyone in bureaucracy, corporate India, education system, medical system. But… if we take out the list of MNREGA, then only people from Dalit, backward and tribal classes will be found in it. All the contracts, all the money goes into the hands of a few people and your attention is diverted by telling you false things, that is why you have to stand together.”
Rahul Gandhi announces Congress’ 3 demands
Commenting on the police action earlier in the day, he said, “Bihar Police tried to stop me, but could not. She could not stop us because I have the power of youth behind me. No power in the world can stop me.”
Rahul also listed three key demands that he and the Congress party will continue to push: “We have three demands—caste census should be conducted, there should be reservation in private educational institutions, and the SC-ST sub-plan should be implemented.”
भारत लोकतंत्र है, संविधान से चलता है, न कि तानाशाही से!
हमें सामाजिक न्याय और शिक्षा के लिए आवाज़ उठाने से कोई नहीं रोक सकता। pic.twitter.com/ksbynJvTqG
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 15, 2025
Before his visit, Rahul had tweeted, “India is a democracy, it is run by the Constitution, not by dictatorship! No one can stop us from raising our voice for social justice and education.”
Reacting to the blocked event, National President of NSUI, Varun Choudhary, criticised the state government, saying, “This shows that the JDU-BJP government is anti-Dalit and anti-students. The students have declared they will only get up from here once they meet Rahul Gandhi. What is the JDU-BJP government scared of? The truth is that the students will reveal their poor condition under the JDU-BJP government to Rahul Gandhi.” He added that, “The preparations for today’s programme had been going on for some time. But permission for the programme was deliberately cancelled last night when the administration found out that the students are planning to attend the event in large numbers.”
The ‘Shiksha Nyay Samvad’ campaign will be conducted across 75 locations in Bihar. Over 60 national-level Congress leaders will visit universities, colleges, and hostels to engage with students—especially from Dalit, backward, and minority communities. Through this program, Congress aims to raise issues like poor educational infrastructure, delays in academic sessions, frequent paper leaks, and lack of employment opportunities.
With this visit, Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that Congress intends to center its Bihar campaign around education, social justice, and empowering the marginalised. This marks his fourth visit to the state in the past five months, indicating the party’s growing efforts to connect with Bihar’s youth and 17% Dalit population ahead of the assembly elections.
