Congress MP Rahul Gandhi announced that the party will contest the Bihar assembly election as part of the Opposition alliance, INDIA, during a visit to the party office in Patna.
Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a key member of the INDIA bloc, had earlier said the alliance was focused only on the Lok Sabha elections.
“BJP and RSS must be defeated in Bihar, and we will achieve this by staying united as the INDIA bloc,” Rahul Gandhi said, urging party workers to prepare for the fight.
“You are the lions and tigers of Congress. Get ready to take on the challenge,” he added. The Bihar assembly election is scheduled for later this year.
Tejashwi Yadav, who was recently given major decision-making powers along with his father, Lalu Yadav, during the RJD executive meeting, has not yet responded to Rahul Gandhi’s statement about contesting the Bihar elections under the INDIA banner.
The RJD plans to amend its party constitution to grant Tejashwi the authority to change the party’s name or symbol. This proposal will be discussed in the upcoming state council meeting.
Later that day, Rahul Gandhi visited Lalu Yadav’s home in Patna and met his family.
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi meets Lalu Yadav, family in Patna
While addressing party workers, Rahul Gandhi criticised the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government, accusing it of failing the state’s youth. He said, “The education system in Bihar has been completely sold out, leaving young people without opportunities for jobs. Inflation is rising, and poor people are being crushed under its burden.”
Nitish Kumar leads a coalition government in Bihar, where the Janata Dal (United) and the BJP are the main partners.
Rahul Gandhi also met a group of students protesting against alleged irregularities in the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exams.
The students have been holding continuous demonstrations at Gardani Bagh, demanding the cancellation of the Combined Competitive Exam held last month.
One of the protesters, Suman Saurabh from Sitamarhi, said, “We urged Rahul Gandhi to visit Gardani Bagh, our ‘dharmabhoomi’ and ‘karmabhoomi.’ He assured us he would try to visit. His support, as a national leader, means a lot to us.”
Also Read: 'Nitish Govt's caste survey fooled Bihar': Rahul Gandhi
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