At Dalit Icon Jaglal Choudhary’s Birth Anniversary, Shri Rahul Gandhi Amplifies ‘Social Justice’ Pitch Ahead of Bihar Elections

Patna: Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition, Shri Rahul Gandhi on February 5, 2025, paid tribute to legendary freedom fighter and Dalit icon Jaglal Choudhary on his 130th birth anniversary in Patna where he amplified his ‘social justice’ pitch ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.

Choudhary, who hailed from the Pasi community, was a minister in the first provincial government in 1937.

Speaking at Choudhary’s birth anniversary, Shri Rahul launched a scathing attack at the BJP and PM Modi-led NDA government at the Centre over the alleged neglect of Dalits.

“Talk about power structure. Whether it be education sector, health, corporate India, business, or judiciary, how much representation do you have? People say that Dalits have been given representation, which is true. But representation without participation in the power structure has no meaning. This is as good as making you sit on the stage and taking decisions back stage,” Shri Rahul Gandhi said.

“You can see Prime Minister Narendra Modi bowing before the Constitution and the statue of Ambedkar. Today, many RSS leaders can also be seen singing paeans to Ambedkar. They do so while working against the very ideals that Ambedkar espoused,” claimed Congress leader.

“PM Modi talks about giving representation to people, but the MLAs and MPs have been rendered powerless. While distributing ministerial berths, RSS ideologues are made OSDs. So the question is about control and participation,” he added.

Who Was Jaglal Choudhary?

Jaglal Choudhary is highly regarded in the country as a Dalit icon and legendary freedom fighter, who became the first Dalit minister in the first provincial government in Bihar in 1937. Choudhary was the first Dalit to be made a cabinet minister. Jaglal Chaudhary was made the Cabinet Minister of Excise and Public Health Department on 20 July 1937.