Rahul Gandhi plays social justice card in Bihar ahead of Assembly polls

Darbhanga/Patna: Playing the social justice card to the hilt, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday addressed inmates of an 'Ambedkar hostel' in Bihar and watched a movie based on the life of legendary reformers Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha began his day-long tour of the state, where assembly polls are due in a few months, by addressing a 'Shiksha Nyay Samvad' at Darbhanga, a north Bihar town about 140 km from the state capital.

Hours later, before boarding his return flight in Patna, he told reporters, "I had come to interact with students from the deprived sections of society. Attempts were made to block my way. But my job was done (kaam ban gaya)".

The allusion was to his cavalcade being stopped at the gates of the Lalit Naryan Mithila University in Darbhanga, where the local administration tried to prevent him from reaching the 'Ambedkar Chhatravas', a day after denying permission to hold the programme at the spot.

The administration had suggested that the 'Shiksha Nyay Samvad' be held at town hall, but the Congress leader stood his ground, choosing to get out of his car and walk several hundred metres to reach the ground adjacent to the hostel, where a huge canopy had been put up.

"My car was stopped at the gates. But I did not relent...I took a circuitous route to reach here on foot", Gandhi said at the function, speaking into a hand-held mic.

The 54-year-old leader claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to hold a caste census "out of fear" that refusal may not go down well with the deprived castes, even as he accused the Centre as well as the Nitish Kumar government in the state of reluctance to implement reservations in private educational institutions.

"The present system does not care for you. It works for just five per cent of the population, for Ambani, Adani and their ilk. But you must not get distracted and continue to fight for three things — a caste census that is effective like the survey conducted in Telangana, quotas in private colleges and universities and release of money allocated for the SC and ST sub-plans", said the former Congress president.

Clad in his trademark white Polo T-shirt and cargo pants, the Rae Bareli MP sought to strike a chord with the audience by offering the mic to one of the students who vented spleen about discrimination faced by students from the deprived castes and hoped that the Opposition would lend voice to their concerns in Parliament.

The crowds erupted in roars of "Jai Bhim" when Gandhi, before departing from the venue, stood holding aloft a portrait of Baba Saheb Ambedkar.

The Congress leader thereafter took a helicopter to reach Patna where he went to a movie theatre to watch a special show of 'Phule', which is getting critical acclaim for depicting the lives of the 19th century couple, who are remembered for their pioneering efforts in social and educational reform.

"Phule is a nice movie. Everyone should watch it", remarked Gandhi, before boarding his flight for Delhi.

Social activists from across the state, many of them having no affiliation with the Congress, but affinity towards Gandhi's push for bottom-up reform, had come to watch the movie along with the leader, armed with special passes arranged by the party.

Gandhi's heroics in a state where his party has come to be regarded as a spent force won plaudits from alliance partners and criticism from opponents.

"Rahul Gandhi's bold stance against the repressive and dictatorial double engine government is praiseworthy. Winds of change are now evident in Darbhanga and the entire Mithilanchal region, which was swept by the NDA in the last assembly polls", said CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya in a statement.

Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Samrat Choudhary said, "Rahul Gandhi's attempt to politicise college campuses and hostels is deplorable. The type of language he uses for Prime Minister Narendra Modi befits goons".

Manish Verma, national general secretary of the JD(U), headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, wondered "Rahul Gandhi could have watched the movie anywhere. Why did he choose Bihar for the purpose".

Verma also said "instead of shedding crocodile tears over education scenario in the country, including Bihar, the Congress leader should ponder over the role played by his party, which spent so many years in power, in bringing things to this pass. In Bihar, things have begun to look up since Nitish Kumar took over. Gandhi and Congress would do well to emulate the state's performance wherever they are in power".