Rahul Gandhi to step up outreach to Bihar backward, Dalit students: Interaction to film
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will interact with over 2,000 students belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and minority communities on Thursday at the Ambedkar hostel in Darbhanga in Bihar.
Launching the Congress's Shiksha Nyay Samvad (Discussion on Justice in Education) campaign, Gandhi will also watch Phule – the recently-released Hindi film on social reformers Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule – along with the students from these communities at a theatre in Patna.
Bihar is slated for the high-stakes Assembly elections in October-November this year.
Since February, Gandhi has been visiting Bihar at least once a month and has attended three Samvidhan Bachao (Save the Constitution) functions in Patna so far. These events have been held by the Congress to take forward its narrative of the BJP's alleged assault on the Constitution. This was also part of the Opposition INDIA alliance's campaign in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which had gained traction among a section of the marginalised communities.
In these events, Gandhi has spoken about the discrimination and under-representation of the backward classes and vulnerable groups. He has also been demanding a nationwide caste census, pitching it as a crucial exercise for social justice and the 'foundation of future policy-making'.
Now that the BJP-led Centre has announced the enumeration of castes alongside other categories in the forthcoming population Census, all eyes will be on how Gandhi will frame the issue in Bihar — the state that first conducted a caste survey in 2022-23.
Congress leaders say that in addition to claiming credit for the Centre's caste census proposal, Gandhi would again demand the removal of the 50% cap on reservations. The 50% ceiling was stipulated by the Supreme Court in its landmark 1992 judgment in Indra Sawhney vs Union of India case.
In June 2024, the Patna High Court set aside notifications by the Bihar government to increase the reservation in government jobs and educational institutions from 50% to 65%.
Giving details about Gandhi's Thursday programme in Bihar, Congress spokesperson Gyan Ranjan Gupta told The Indian Express: 'About 2,000 students, from classes 11 and 12 to undergraduate courses, would gather at Ambedkar hostel of Darbhanga for live interaction with Rahul Gandhi. The Congress leader would listen to students' problems and would respond to them.'
Gupta said Gandhi will take up the issue of 'the Centre delaying several scholarships for OBC, EBC, Dalit and minority students'. The Congress has alleged that the post-matric scholarship schemes for Dalits, which include free admission in higher educational or professional courses with fee waiver, are not being properly implemented in the state.
'Our party wants to engage students and tell them about their rights. Our leader Rahul Gandhi might also discuss poor implementation of Right to Education Act provisions, especially by private schools and the need for better educational infrastructure including construction of more residential schools,' said the Congress spokesperson.
Since the Congress lost power in Bihar in 1990, the party has been on a downhill in the state. In the 2000 Assembly polls, the party's vote share dipped to 11.06 per cent, Five years later, it further dipped to 6.1% votes and nine seats.
In the 2010 Assembly polls, when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's popularity was at its peak, the Congress managed 8.4% votes but could win only four seats — its lowest tally in Bihar till that point.
In the following polls in 2015, the Congress's fortunes revived slightly as part of alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), its senior partner. The Congress got 6.8% votes, but won 27 seats. In the 2020 polls, the Congress got 9.6% votes and bagged 19 seats.
Barring the 2010 polls, the Congress has been an ally of the RJD since 2005.
To expand it base in Bihar, the Congress is attempting to broaden its outreach among the EBCs and Dalits in particular. The party recently replaced Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh, an upper caste leader, with Dalit leader Rajesh Kumar as the state party unit chief. This move was aimed at giving 'fair representation' to non-upper caste leaders in its organisation.
Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
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