Darbhanga (Bihar): Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi on May 15, 2025, walked around 2.5 kilometres to the Ambedkar Welfare Hostel in Darbhanga after police barred his convoy from proceeding to the venue of the Shiksha Nyay Samvad, a scheduled interaction with students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Extremely Backward Classes (EBC).

Shri Rahul Gandhi, stepped out of his vehicle and made his way on foot to the hostel, flanked by Congress workers, including Bihar Congress President Shri Rajesh Kumar and Congress Legislature Party leader Shri Shakeel Ahmad Khan. The police had informed the Congress delegation that permission had not been granted to hold a political programme in a government building, and suggested that the event be held at the Town Hall instead.

Despite the denial of permission, Shri Rahul Gandhi addressed the gathering at the hostel, holding up a photograph of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Before entering the premises, he accused the NDA government in Bihar of preventing him from engaging with marginalized students.

“Since when has dialogue become a crime? Nitish ji, what are you afraid of? Do you want to hide the state of education and social justice in Bihar? There is no democracy left in this government.” Shri Rahul Gandhi said.

Reiterating his demands, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha called for immediate implementation of three measures: a nationwide caste census, reservations in private educational institutions, and enforcement of the SC-ST sub-plan.

“In this country, Dalits, backward classes, extremely backward classes, and tribals face discrimination daily - especially in education,” Shri Rahul Gandhi said. “We will continue to put pressure on the government until these demands are met. Just as they could not stop me today, they will not be able to stop us in the future.”

Addressing the students, he alleged that members of marginalized communities remain underrepresented in the bureaucracy, corporate sector, higher education, and medical fields. “If you look at the MGNREGA rolls, you will see only Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs. But when it comes to government contracts and economic power, it all goes to a few. This is by design, and you are being distracted from the truth.”

Later in the day, Shri Rahul Gandhi visited Patna, where he watched ‘Phule’, a film based on social reformers Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, along with senior Congress leaders at Cinepolis in P&M Mall.