15-05-2025
Despite police ban, Rahul Gandhi reaches Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's was stopped enroute to Ambedkar hotel where he is scheduled to interact with the students of Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Class (OBC) and Extremely Backward Class (EBC) under Siksha Nyay Samvad., by Darbhanga police on Thursday (May 15, 2025). However, Mr. Gandhi got down from the car and walked to the venue.
His convoy was stopped at the gate of the hostel and police informed the Congress leader that Town Hall has been allotted to hold the party programme.
However, the Congress workers including Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan and Bihar Congress head Rajes Kumar were also present at the gate and shouted slogans in support of Mr. Gandhi.
Mr. Gandhi's stage was already built near Ambedkar hostel and many students and Congress workers are adamant on holding 'Shiksha Nyay Samvad' programme there only.
After police did not allow enter his car, Mr. Gandhi got down from the car and started walking towards Ambedkar Welfare hostel. Congress workers were found walking along with Mr. Gandhi.
Despite police not officially allowing him to interact with the students, Mr. Gandhi reached the hostel. He walked about 2.5 kms from Town hall to the hostel there to address them, it was his fourth visit to Bihar this year in the poll-bound State.
Before entering the hostel, Indian National Congress (INC) posted Rahul Gandhi's video on 'X' in which Mr. Gandhi said that in Bihar, the NDA's 'double engine deceitful government' is preventing him from interacting with Dalit and backward students at Ambedkar Hostel.
'Since when has dialogue become a crime? Nitish ji, what are you afraid of? Do you want to hide the state of education and social justice in Bihar? There is no democracy left in the government. I am just asking three things, government should invest in the education sector, break the cap of 50% reservation and give reservation in private educational institutions,'Mr. Gandhi said in 'X' post.
Holding the photograph of Bhimrao Ambedkar, Mr. Gandhi addressed the gathering stressing that nobody can stop him to raise the issues pertaining to youths.
'In the country, Dalits, backward classes, extremely backward classes, and tribals face injustice 24 hours a day. You face discrimination and are obstructed in the education system. Therefore, our demand is, conduct a caste census in the proper manner, implement reservations in private colleges and universities but Narendra Modi and the Bihar government are not implementing these laws,'Mr. Gandhi said.
He added, 'So we will put pressure on them and ensure this is done. Just as they could not stop us from coming here, they will not be able to stop us in the future either. Until they implement reservations in private institutions, we will keep advancing, keep fighting.'
Mr. Gandhi reiterated three demands which include conducting a caste-based census, implementing reservation in private educational institutions and enforcing the SC-ST sub-plan.
Lashing out at Bihar police Mr. Gandhi said, 'The Bihar police tried to stop me, but they couldn't. They couldn't stop us because I have the strength of the youth behind me. No power in the world can stop me. India has democracy and is governed by the Constitution, not by dictatorship. No one can stop us from raising our voice for social justice and education.'
He pointed out that the country's 90% population needs to understand its strength.
Addressing the students Mr. Gandhi alleged that Dalits and backwards youths are being distracted and held back in bureaucracy, corporate India, the education system, and the medical system.
'You won't find anyone from this 90% population. But If you look at the MGNREGA list, you will only find people from the Dalit, backward, and tribal communities. All the contracts, all the wealth, go into the hands of a few people, and you are distracted with misleading narratives, so you must stand together,'Mr. Gandhi said.
After Darbhanga, he visited Patna's Sadaquat Ashram, the Congress headquarters to watch the movie Phule.
