‘Like You, I'll Never Marry': Bihar Woman's Remark To Rahul Gandhi Goes Viral
During the Mahila Samwad programme, Riya Paswan told Rahul Gandhi that it was his journey that inspired her to step into politics.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's visit to Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections sparked a viral moment during a women's outreach event in Gaya, where social media personality and grassroots activist Riya Paswan- widely known as 'Pad Girl'- said that she has political ambitions and vowed to remain unmarried, just like Rahul Gandhi.
During the Mahila Samwad programme, Riya Paswan told Rahul Gandhi that it was his journey that inspired her to step into politics.
'I owe my progress to the Shakti Abhiyan," she said, referring to the Congress party's initiative aimed at increasing women's political participation. She added that politics was the foundation for change in sectors like education, but said that there is a lack of female representation, especially from marginalized communities.
आज गया में Shakti Samvad कार्यक्रम के मंच से मैंने अपनी आवाज़ उठाई – महिलाओं के मुद्दे, मोहल्ले की समस्याएं, और जनता की सच्चाई को Rahul Gandhi ji के सामने रखा।मैं Riya Paswan हूं, और मैं हर ग़लत के खिलाफ खड़ी हूं। pic.twitter.com/7ymZftN8W0 — Riya Kumari (@kumarir6529) June 7, 2025
Riya Paswan, who lives in a slum and has mobilized a strong grassroots team through the Congress-led campaign, told the crowd, 'We've built a large team in slum areas during the Shakti Abhiyan. Now, if people have any issues, they come directly to us."
A video of the interaction, widely shared on X (formerly Twitter), showed Rahul Gandhi smiling as Riya Paswan addressed the gathering.
'You give good speeches," he told her.
She went on to say, 'I want to become a leader and serve the people. The Shakti Abhiyan helped me understand what politics really means."
Who Is Riya Paswan?
Riya Paswan rose to national prominence in 2022 when she famously confronted IAS officer Harjot Kaur Bhamra at a public event, asking why the government couldn't provide free sanitary pads- earning her the nickname 'Pad Girl.'
First Published:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
40 years of Assam Accord: A lookback at gains and unfulfilled clauses
On Tuesday, leaders from Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), a regional party in Assam, met Congress MP and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in Delhi. Also present were Assam Congress president and the party's deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, and two other Congress MPs from the state Pradyut Bordoloi and Rakibul Hussain. Leaders from Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), a regional party in Assam, met Congress MP and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in Delhi. (@INCAssam) Among other issues including next year's assembly polls in the northeastern state and a likely alliance between AJP and Congress, the leaders discussed the Assam Accord and its implementation. The regional party's president Lurinjyoti Gogoi later told journalists that he urged Gandhi to raise the issue of non-implementation of critical clauses of the accord in Parliament. The accord, which was signed on August 15, 1985 to mark the end of a six-year agitation against illegal immigrants (especially those from Bangladesh), to which Gandhi's father, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was also a signatory, will complete 40 years this Friday. The accord signed by the union government and All Assam Students Union (AASU) and All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP), the two organisations from the state that had spearheaded the 1979-1985 agitation, is considered as the most important deal to stop illegal immigration, detect and deport foreigners residing in the state and give constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards for Assamese people. Over the past four decades many of the clauses in the accord have been fulfilled. But the core issues of fencing the entire border with Bangladesh to prevent entry of illegal immigrants, detection and deportation of all foreigners who entered the state after March 25, 1971 (the day Bangladesh came into being) and providing constitutional safeguards to Assamese people remain unfulfilled despite assurances by successive governments from different political parties including Congress, Asom Gana Parishad (formed after signing of the accord) and Bharatiya Janata Party. Assam has a separate government department, set up in 1986, to implement the accord The agitation and the accord The Assam Agitation started in 1979 after names of several thousands of dubious citizens got included in the electoral rolls of Mangaldai constituency ahead of the 1980 Lok Sabha polls. This led to fears among indigenous groups that if the influx from Bangladesh continued unabated, it would lead to political, social and demographic sidelining of the original inhabitants. The protests over the next six years were led by AASU and organisations like AAGSP and saw participation from all sections of society. Though the agitation was mainly non-violent, over 800 people were killed in police action and nearly 2,000 killed in a single night in 1983 when members of indigenous groups attacked villages in Nellie of Bengali-speaking Muslims with origins in Bangladesh. The agitation came to an end following signing of the accord. 'Foreigners who came to Assam on or after March 25, 1971 shall continue to be detected, deleted and expelled in accordance with law. Immediate and practical steps shall be taken to expel such foreigners,' stated one of the main clauses of the agreement. It added that the international border (with Bangladesh) shall be made secure against future infiltration by erection of physical barriers like walls. barbed wire fencing and other obstacles at appropriate places. Strengthening of security arrangements to prevent future infiltration adequate number of check posts would be set up, it mentioned. Clause 6 of the accord stipulates, 'Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people'. Over the past decades some of the demands raised by AASU and few included in the accord have been met. Establishment of the sprawling Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati for preservation, promotion and upliftment of culture of the people of Assam is one. Setting up of the Numaligarh Refinery Limited, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Guwahati and two central universities, Tezpur University in Tezpur and Assam University in Silchar are other such completed projects. But issues like fencing the 267-km border Assam shares with Bangladesh, which is crucial to put an end to infiltration from the neighbouring country, is yet to be completed. Of the total border around 61 km, most of which falls in riverine areas, remain unprotected. Minister for implementation of the accord, Atul Bora, told the state assembly that fencing has been completed while the rest 39-40 km still remain open. Implementation of another prominent clause regarding detection and deportation of illegal immigrants also remains partial. While there is no exact number of such persons residing in Assam some estimates say they could be anywhere from 1 to 4 million or even more. The final report on updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the state, which was supervised by the Supreme Court with the aim of weeding out illegal immigrants and got over in August 2019, had left out 1.9 million applicants. But that figure is debated, the list is yet to be ratified by the Registrar General of India and several petitions are pending in the apex court seeking partial or complete overhaul of the 5-year-long exercise. In the same reply to the assembly in February, Bora had mentioned that since signing of the accord, and until December 31, 2024, at least 165,531 illegal immigrants residing in Assam had been detected and declared as foreigners by tribunals specially set up for that purpose--cases against nearly 85,000 others who are suspected to be illegal foreigners are still pending. Bora had told the assembly that of those detected 30,115 were deported. Details on the rest are sketchy. In May this year, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had stated that nearly 30,000 of those declared foreigners by tribunals had gone missing with no details of their whereabouts at present. Contentious Clause 6 But the most highlighted and controversial of all things in the accord is Clause 6 that promised 'constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards' to protect the identity and heritage of 'Assamese people'. But since the accord doesn't clearly define who would be considered as 'Assamese people', there's confusion on who would enjoy the constitutional safeguards. Implementation of Clause 6 remained in the backburner for over three decades till the BJP-led government in Centre formed a committee in 2019 to suggest recommendations. The 13-member committee headed by Justice (Retd) Biplab Kumar Sarma had submitted its report to the then chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in February 2020. It had stipulated 1951 as the cut-off date to determine who an Assamese is (those who themselves or their ancestors were living in the state in that year). Other recommendations of the committee include protection of the state's culture, heritage and languages, job safeguards (100% reservation in Grade III and IV jobs and 70% in Grade I and II jobs for Assamese people), protection of land of indigenous people as well reservations in parliamentary and assembly seats for indigenous people. The recommendations again took a backseat for five years till the state government and AASU reached an agreement in February this year on implementing 38 of the 52 recommendations of the committee. CM Sarma stated that those would include mandatory inclusion of Assamese language as a subject in all schools of Brahmaputra Valley and Assamese and Bodo languages as subjects in all schools in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). Similarly, all schools will have to teach students about Assam's history and geography mandatorily till Class 8. It was decided that the state government and AASU would continue deliberations on how to implement the rest of the recommendations and also urge the Centre to find ways to take forward some other recommendations like reservations in Lok Sabha and assembly seats for indigenous people, which don't fall under purview of the state government. With elections happening in few months and issues like illegal immigrants, evictions of 'suspected Bangladeshis' from government and forest lands, rights of indigenous people coming to focus again, the Assam Accord and its implementation will again hit headlines with parties doling out assurances and blaming rivals for the long delay in reaching its stated objectives.
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Russian Forces Destroys Ukraine's Long-Range Missile Facilities Ahead Of Putin-Trump Meeting
Union Minister Anurag Thakur Turns Tables On Opposition In 'Vote Chori' War With 'Fake Voter' Data The BJP has turned the 'vote chori' debate into an all-out political slugfest, directly targeting Congress over alleged fake voters in Opposition strongholds. In a fiery press conference, BJP leader Anurag Thakur accused Sonia Gandhi of being on the voter list before becoming an Indian citizen and presented a detailed dossier exposing voter list anomalies in seats held by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Abhishek Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, and MK Stalin. From duplicate entries to mass voter additions, the BJP claims a 'ghuspaithiya vote bank' fuels Opposition victories. The party says its proposed SIR system will clean voter rolls and expose decades of electoral malpractice. Rahul Gandhi has yet to respond to the BJP's fresh offensive.#bjp #congress #votechori #rahulgandhi #soniagandhi #anuragthakur #abhishekbanerjee #akhileshyadav #mkstalin #tmc #sp #dmk #indiapolitics #evmcontroversy #fakevoters #parliament #breakingnews #trending #trendingnow #toi #bharat #toibharat #indianews 29.8K views | 1 day ago
Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- Indian Express
How Congress brings Ambedkar and Sardar Patel on the same table
In the Congress party's recent national legal conclave on 'Constitutional Challenges — Perspectives and Pathways', photos of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and B R Ambedkar were prominently displayed. Notably, this is the first time that the pictures of these four — pillars of our freedom struggle and our modern nation-building — were displayed in the Congress office that too in a public meeting. Except for Ambedkar, the rest of them are from the Congress party itself. However, Patel was slowly sidelined after Nehru took over the party. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were always considered the guiding lights of the Congress. This was evident in the naming of the institutions — libraries, universities, airports, railway stations, and memorials — during Congress rule. The party made this mistake because it did not want to recognise the caste background of leaders like Ambedkar and Patel, and how their caste identities were shaping the electorate. Soon, the BJP appropriated Sardar Patel, which reached its peak when PM Modi built the tallest statue of Patel in Gujarat. Ambedkar was first revered by Dalits, and he then slowly emerged as a social justice icon. His image is now used to mobilise voters. However, until Rahul Gandhi, Congress didn't realise that Patel and Ambedkar were not given their dues. The BJP helped Congress re-examine its nationalist roots and paved the way for research on these icons who have been relevant across caste and class lines. Rahul Gandhi's realisation during Yatras Gandhi's mass contact during his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Mumbai seems to have changed his understanding about Ambedkar and Patel. Ambedkar emerged as one of the tallest national icons in the post-Mandal era, much to the chagrin of Hindutva intellectuals. Arun Shourie's book Worshipping False Gods was written as a response to his ascent in the mass consciousness during this period. In the recent past, Shashi Tharoor, despite conflicting ideologies, also had to write a book on Ambedkar. Shourie's mindset could also be found in Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who in Parliament contemptuously said that it has become a fashion to say Ambedkar. Immediately after that, Gandhi turned Ambedkar into his party's icon with the slogan: Jai Bapu, Jai Bheem and Jai Samvidhan. He told Shah in no uncertain terms that Ambedkar had already joined Gandhi and Nehru in the nationalist imagination. A new Congress in the making Before 2014, PM Modi gave a call for a 'Congress Mukt Bharat'. He started appropriating Gandhi, Ambedkar, besides Patel. Modi used Patel's image both in Gujarat and outside the state. However, Patel, a Shudra/OBC, was the first rural man to connect the Congress nationalist movement with his Bardoli farmers' agitation that was organised against increased land revenue taxes. It was only after that that Gandhi entered into the farmers' struggles against the British. But Congress forgot to see the link between the farmers' movements and Patel. However, Rahul Gandhi brought Gandhi, Nehru, Patel and Ambedkar together and placed them on the party's banner, along with their portraits on the walls of the new party office. His upholding of the caste census as 'societal X-Ray and protection to the Constitution' during the 2024 elections also helped him make Patel and Ambedkar party icons. The erstwhile Congress leaders thought that caste discourse and secularism were contradictory. But that is a misplaced reading of the Indian social system. This shift in the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi made the BJP fall short of the majority mark in the last Lok Sabha elections. 'Pappu', as Gandhi was scornfully called, has suddenly become a serious contender for the PM post. While Modi turns 75 — the age that his party had set as an ideal retirement age for its leaders — Congress does not disappear from Indian politics. The Congress not only survives, but it appears to embrace a new phase after 140 years. That is a good sign. The writer is a political theorist, social activist and author. His latest book is The Shudra Rebellion
