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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will join the party’s high-voltage ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ Yatra in Bihar’s Begusarai district on Monday, as the opposition ramps up its campaign ahead of the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025. The padyatra, aimed at addressing rising youth unemployment and migration from Bihar, has been drawing significant attention, especially with youth leader Kanhaiya Kumar at its forefront.
This marks Rahul Gandhi’s third visit to Bihar in the past three months, underlining the Congress party’s renewed focus on the state as part of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) which includes the RJD, Congress, and Left parties in its fight against the ruling NDA, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP.
#WATCH | Delhi: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi leaves for Bihar
He will join NSUI National incharge Kanhaiya Kumar’s ‘Palayan Roko Naukri Do’ Yatra in Begusarai and later address a public meeting in Patna pic.twitter.com/UxUHHBRasT
Advertisement · Scroll to continue— ANI (@ANI) April 7, 2025
‘White T-Shirt Movement’ Gains Traction
Ahead of his visit, Rahul Gandhi posted a video message on X, urging Bihar’s youth to join the padyatra in white T-shirts to symbolize unity and resistance. “Our aim is to draw attention to the youth’s struggle in Bihar government jobs are getting scarce, and privatisation brings no real benefits. Let us put pressure on the government and bring change,” Gandhi said.
बिहार के युवा साथियों, मैं 7 अप्रैल को बेगूसराय आ रहा हूं, पलायन रोको, नौकरी दो यात्रा में आपके साथ कंधे से कंधा मिलाकर चलने।
लक्ष्य है कि पूरी दुनिया को बिहार के युवाओं की भावना दिखे, उनका संघर्ष दिखे, उनका कष्ट दिखे।
आप भी White T-Shirt पहन कर आइए, सवाल पूछिए, आवाज़ उठाइए -… pic.twitter.com/LhVUROFCOW
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 6, 2025
The ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ (Stop Migration, Give Jobs) march, which began in East Champaran last month, has emerged as a youth-centric political initiative that aims to hold the Bihar government accountable on the employment front.
Kanhaiya Kumar Leads Ground Campaign in Hometown
Kanhaiya Kumar, a native of Begusarai and former JNU Students’ Union president, has become the main attraction of the padyatra. His grassroots connect and focus on employment, migration, and youth rights have resonated with Bihar’s younger voters. Kumar had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Begusarai on a CPI ticket before joining the Congress.
The padyatra is seen as a crucial platform for Kumar, now one of the Congress’s prominent youth leaders, to amplify his influence in the state.
Following the padyatra in Begusarai, Rahul Gandhi will head to Patna where he is scheduled to attend the ‘Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan’ (Save the Constitution Symposium). He will later visit the historic Sadaqat Ashram, the Bihar Congress headquarters, to address party workers and discuss election strategy.
Congress Eyes Revival in Bihar
The Congress party is aiming to reclaim political relevance in Bihar through people-focused campaigns and direct engagement with the youth. The ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ Yatra comes at a time when issues like joblessness, lack of industrial development, and large-scale migration continue to dominate public discourse in the state.
