PATNA: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday joined ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ (stop migration, provide jobs) yatra launched under the leadership of NSUI national In-charge Kanhaiya Kumar in Bihar’s Begusarai district.
He was accompanied by Kanhaiya and other senior Congress leaders during his 1-km-long foot march.
Congress workers wearing white T-shirts and holding party flags in their hands assembled in large numbers to receive Rahul near Subhash Chowk in Begusarai town.
A day earlier, Rahul had appealed to youth to take part in ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ yatra to dethrone the NDA government.
Though Rahul was scheduled to address a corner meeting in Begusarai, he chose to return to Patna to attend another event. He is scheduled to take part in ‘Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan’ and later address the workers’ meeting at Sadaquat Ashram in the state capital.
Earlier, Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan said that Rahul Gandhi is coming to Bihar to fulfil his commitment of social unity and social justice.
“People are happy. Rahul Gandhi is visiting the state frequently to fulfil his commitment of social unity and social justice,” he asserted.
He further appealed to people to remove the ‘blind’ and ‘deaf’ NDA government in the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar in October-November.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi arrived at Begusarai from Patna, where he was received at the Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport by Rajesh Kumar and other senior party leaders.
This is Rahul’s third visit to poll-bound state since January this year. Begusarai is the native district of Kanhaiya, who is likely to contest from one of the assembly seats in Begusarai district in the upcoming state assembly elections due in October-November this year.
In his one-minute video message uploaded on ‘X’, Rahul appealed to youth to participate in the ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ yatra in Begusarai on Monday. He asked the participants to participate in the yatra wearing white T-shirts.
“Young friends of Bihar, I am coming to Begusarai on April 7 to walk shoulder to shoulder with you in the 'palayan roko, naukri do' march,” the Congress leader said, adding that he wanted to show the world the plight of youths of Bihar who have to migrate to other states in search of jobs.“
"You too come wearing a white t-shirt, ask questions and raise your voice to put pressure on the government for your rights and to remove it (from power)," Rahul said and shared the link for joining the White T-Shirt Movement.
He also appealed to the youths to make Bihar a state of opportunities.
Congress launched ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ march from Mahatma Gandhi’s Bhitiharwa Ashram in West Champaran district on March 16 to highlight migration and unemployment in the state. By pushing Kanhaiya into Bihar politics, Congress is trying to come out of the shadow of its ally—RJD—led by Lalu Prasad.
Congress is, in fact, trying to reach out to EBCs, Dalits and Muslims through ‘Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan’. But its main focus is on EBCs.
EBCs constitute nearly 36.1 per cent of the state’s population. The Congress is learnt to have decided to promote more leaders from EBC within the party.
Recently, the grand old party revamped its district units before the assembly elections. “New district chiefs’ selection was done keeping caste combination in mind,” said a senior Congress leader.