Rahul set to address EBC meet in Nalanda on June 6
Patna: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will visit Bihar for the fifth time this year on June 6 to address an extremely backward class (EBC) conference at Rajgir in Nalanda, the home district of CM Nitish Kumar.
His visit comes just a week after PM Narendra Modi's two-day tour of Bihar, during which he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects worth over Rs 48,500 crore on May 29 and May 30.
Congress state media cell chairman Rajesh Rathorre said on Saturday that the detailed itinerary of Rahul had not yet reached the party headquarters, though he is expected to arrive in Patna on way to Rajgir.
Rahul's visit is part of the Congress's intensified campaign for the Bihar assembly elections due in Oct-Nov.
Senior party leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, have made regular visits to the state since Jan.
The Congress is seeking to regain support among Dalits, EBCs, and Muslims, its traditional voter base. Rahul's Nalanda rally is being seen as an attempt to challenge Nitish in his own stronghold.
However, dismissing the impact of the visit, JD(U) leader and minister Ashok Choudhary said, "Congress will not benefit from his frequent visits to Bihar."
Rahul earlier visited the state on Jan 18, Feb 4, April 7 and May 15. During his last visit, he addressed students at Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, defying administrative orders. Two FIRs were lodged against him for the violation.
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