As Rahul Gandhi leads 'Palayan Roko, Naukri Do' padyatra of the Congress in Bihar's Begusarai district, the BJP has raised questions about Congress’s own legacy in Bihar. BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain has accused the Congress of fuelling riots during its rule, and has also slammed it for backing Lalu Yadav’s “infamous jungle raj.”
Hussain said, “Rahul Gandhi has joined the padyatra in Begusarai, leading the so-called “white T-shirt movement.” But he must remember—Congress too played a role in Bihar’s downfall. When it was in power, the party didn’t govern—it incited riots. The stains of the Bhagalpur riots are on that white T-shirt. Let’s not forget, Congress was also complicit in Lalu Yadav’s 15-year-long jungle raj.”
Rahul Gandhi’s Padyatra
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday participated in the padyatra in Begusarai town and was accompanied by several party leaders, including Kanhaiya Kumar and state party president Rajesh Kumar.A large number of leaders and workers of the Congress and its student and youth wings, carrying party flags and placards demanding the immediate filling-up of vacancies in defence forces, also took part in the padyatra.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 Gandhi's third Bihar tour since January, when he had urged party workers to "inflict an ideological defeat" on the BJP in the assembly polls due later this year. The Raebareli MP shared a minute-long video message on X on Sunday, urging the youth of Bihar to join him in the march in Begusarai wearing "white T-shirts"."Our aim is to draw the attention of the world to the plight of Bihar's youth, who find government jobs getting scarce day by day and privatisation bringing no benefits. Let us bring the government in the state under pressure and change it," he said in the video.In the upcoming Bihar assembly polls, the Mahagathbandhan, comprising RJD, Congress and the Left, is pitted against the ruling Nitish Kumar-led NDA that also comprises the BJP.
(Inputs From PTI)