PATNA: Congress in Bihar on Sunday kicked off its state-wide ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ padyatra to highlight large-scale migration from the state due to lack of employment opportunities.
The padyatra (foot march), after covering different districts, will culminate in Patna on the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar on April 14.
Senior leaders of Congress, including AICC Bihar In-charge Krishna Allavaru, state president Akhilesh Prasad Singh and NSUI leader Kanhaiya Kumar, are leading the foot march, the first of its kind by the grand old party to highlight real issues plaguing the state since long.
The objective behind the launch of agitation is to attract youths ahead of assembly polls.
Even though assembly elections in Bihar are due for October-November, political parties have already started preparations.
Congress, which has mainly been relying on its ally, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), for the first time, is trying to focus on youth by raising their problems, including a lack of job opportunities and multiple question paper leaks of examinations.
Speaking at the launch of the state-wide march, NSUI national in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar said that the BJP-JD(U) NDA government in Bihar has failed to provide job opportunities, leading to migration on a large scale. Moreover, question paper leaks in examinations have deprived meritorious students of their jobs.
Launching a frontal attack on BJP, Kanhaiya said that BJP was fanning communal flare-ups to polarise voters ahead of assembly elections. “The politics of communal polarisation aims at diverting attention from lack of education, healthcare and employment. It is intended to create a division in the society,” he asserted.
The former JNU Students’ Union president cautioned the youth not to be swayed by false promises made by the ruling dispensation. “The government has no solution to the problem of migration, quality education and proper healthcare for the poor. Apart from education and healthcare, youths from Bihar have to go outside even for a honeymoon,” he said amid clapping from the crowd, mostly youths.
He said that he was more worried about the meritorious students who see no hope for themselves. “I want such students get their seats (jobs) based on their qualification and not to be deceived by mere promises. I call upon you to think over the issues plaguing the state for so long and bring about a change,” he told the gathering.
Kanhaiya, who had unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary election from Begusarai on the ticket of CPI in 2019 before he joined Congress, however, parried questions on the possibility of contesting the upcoming assembly election.
On being pressed, he said, “I am only concerned about job aspirants getting seats (unemployment) and not politics.” Workers of Youth Congress and NSUI (Nationalist Unity Centre of India) are organising the padyatra. Earlier, AICC Bihar In-charge Allavaru called upon the youth to participate in the foot march in large numbers to make the program a grand success. “It is meant for youth in particular,” he added.
Citing official figures of migrant workers from the Bihar government’s website, Allavaru said that around 2.94 crore people migrated from Bihar to other states in search of livelihood.