Congress condemns FIR against Rahul
Patna: A day after the Darbhanga district administration lodged an FIR against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for attending an event at Ambedkar Hostel without permission, the party criticised the move on Friday while urging the state govt not to implicate dalit students. Speaking to the reporters, Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar claimed police were attempting to arrest around 100 dalit students who had invited Rahul to participate in the ‘Shiksha Nyay Samvad’ event. “The police have gone all out to arrest these poor students whose names appear in the FIR. We strongly condemn this police action,” Kumar said, adding that the students should not be dragged into a political conflict between the Congress and the govt. Kumar said, “We neither fear the bullets of the NDA govt nor their FIRs. The Congress stands firmly with dalits, OBCs, EBCs and minority students. They need not be afraid. Rahulji is with them.” Krishna Allavaru, the party’s Bihar in charge, said the administration had initially extended support during preparations but suddenly withdrew permission. “Our leader went there to interact with students, not to hold a public rally. The Bihar govt’s last-minute decision clearly shows it fears the Congress and Rahul,” Allavaru claimed. Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee’s working president Jignesh Mevani said, “The registration of an FIR against Rahul and dalit students proves that the NDA is opposed to dalit, backward, extremely backward and tribal communities.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
UP BJP org rejig: Dalits, OBCs likely to weigh in prominently
Lucknow: OBC and Dalit communities are expected to weigh in prominently as the BJP gears up to reboot its organisational machinery at the ground level by inducting around 90,000 functionaries in over 1,500 out of 1,918 mandals (divisions). Sources said the party plans to recalibrate 80% of the mandals — a local organisational unit within the party’s hierarchical structure — even as the party draws up a broader blueprint of a strategy to counter opposition in the run-up to the 2027 UP assembly polls. A mandal is a key operational layer in the BJP’s grassroots machinery, enabling it to maintain a strong local presence. It is one level below a district and usually corresponds to a group of a few municipal wards or several village panchayats, mainly a sub-division within a district for efficient grassroots-level political and organisational functioning. According to BJP sources, the party will appoint over 60 functionaries in each of the over 1,500 mandals where the party has already appointed a president. A similar exercise will be undertaken in the remaining over 400 mandals after the appointment of presidents. The new team is expected to have a sizable presence of OBC, Dalit and women functionaries, a move that could align with BJP’s focus on strengthening its grassroots presence and bolstering its social coalition, which catapulted the party to an overwhelming majority in UP in the 2017 and 2022 assembly elections. The induction of OBC and Dalit functionaries at the grassroots, experts said, could allow the BJP to counter the opposition’s Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (PDA) card, which dented the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by shrinking its tally from 62 to 33 in UP. A senior BJP functionary said the induction of a good number of women functionaries at the mandal level is also on the cards. Speculations are rife that women may comprise around 33% of the total functionaries at the mandal level. Is that happens then it would be a strategic move by the party, which has been prioritising gender inclusivity by ensuring significant representation of women functionaries in the new appointments. The party also plans to engage the upper caste leadership strategically at the grassroots level as part of its broader organisational revamp. While OBCs and Dalits form the numerical majority and a critical voter bloc, upper castes (like Brahmins, Thakurs, Baniya, and Kayasthas) have traditionally been a core support base for the BJP. The party aims to retain their influence while expanding its appeal to marginalised groups. In March this year, the party had named 70 new district presidents, of whom 39 were from the upper caste, 25 were OBCs and six Scheduled Caste. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
‘BJP leader’s statement is shameful’, JDU leader Sanjay Jha furious over statement on Sofia Qureshi
Patna: JDU MP Sanjay Jha has expressed his views on Rahul Gandhi not getting permission to hold a program in Ambedkar hostel in Darbhanga. He said that political activities should not take place in the hostel. Congress people had asked for a town hall, which was allowed by the district administration. Sanjay Jha has also called the statement made by the BJP leader of Madhya Pradesh on Sofia Qureshi shameful. Sanjay Jha said that Congress people had asked for a place in a hostel in Darbhanga. He clarified that no political meeting takes place in any hostel. Hostel is a place where students go to study. Therefore, political meetings, rallies or programs cannot be held there. Courtesy : Hindi News
FIR against Rahul for unauthorised event
Patna: Darbhanga district administration on Thursday lodged an FIR against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for holding an event at the Ambedkar Hostel without official permission. The case was registered shortly after Rahul left Darbhanga for Patna. In addition to Rahul, 18 others were named in the FIR filed at Laheriasarai police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The police acted on two separate complaints submitted by district welfare officer Alok Kumar and block welfare officer Khursid Alam. “We registered a case against them since they held the function without any permission,” district welfare officer Kumar told TOI. According to the FIR, the Congress had been granted permission to hold its event at the Town Hall. However, the meeting was instead conducted at the Ambedkar Hostel, allegedly without authorisation, and was attended by Rahul and several others. Responding to the allegations, Rahul told reporters at Patna airport before departing for Delhi, “I told them (officials) if you want to stop me (from visiting the hostel), do it, but they didn’t as I went there.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
PM agreed to caste census out of fear of deprived classes: Rahul
Patna: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed PM Narendra Modi agreed to conduct a caste census “out of fear” of the country’s deprived classes, who, he said, make up 90% of the population. Rahul’s remarks followed the recent decision by the cabinet committee on political affairs, chaired by the PM, to approve caste enumeration in the forthcoming general census. Speaking at the launch of the “Shiksha Nyay Samwad” in Darbhanga, an NDA stronghold, Rahul called for a comprehensive caste census on the lines of Telangana, reservation for socially deprived groups in private educational institutions and the release of funds allocated for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Addressing students at Ambedkar Hostel, despite being denied permission by the local administration, Rahul declared he would continue his fight until these three demands were met. “We told the PM in Parliament that you will have to conduct the caste census and he agreed out of fear of your power,” Rahul told the gathering. Seeking to connect with the audience, Rahul alleged that dalits, extremely backward classes, other backward classes and adivasis have long faced systemic oppression and have been denied access to quality education through various means, including the leaking of exam papers. “Exam paper leaks are just a part of the conspiracy to destroy your academic career,” he said, demanding reservation for deprived communities in private academic institutions. He urged marginalised groups to recognise their collective strength. “Just identify your strength. You make up 90% of the total population, but ‘90% ke liye desh me koi rasta nahin hai’ (there is no path for such a large section in this country),” he said. Highlighting their underrepresentation, he pointed out the lack of presence in the bureaucracy, judiciary, educational institutions and medical colleges and called for unity among the deprived classes. Before returning to the national capital, Rahul visited a cinema hall in Patna to watch a recently released biopic based on the lives of 19th-century social reformers Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule. Several social activists, however, claimed they were denied entry to the cinema to watch the film, despite having special passes. Patna: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed PM Narendra Modi agreed to conduct a caste census “out of fear” of the country’s deprived classes, who, he said, make up 90% of the population. Rahul’s remarks followed the recent decision by the cabinet committee on political affairs, chaired by the PM, to approve caste enumeration in the forthcoming general census. Speaking at the launch of the “Shiksha Nyay Samwad” in Darbhanga, an NDA stronghold, Rahul called for a comprehensive caste census on the lines of Telangana, reservation for socially deprived groups in private educational institutions and the release of funds allocated for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Addressing students at Ambedkar Hostel, despite being denied permission by the local administration, Rahul declared he would continue his fight until these three demands were met. “We told the PM in Parliament that you will have to conduct the caste census and he agreed out of fear of your power,” Rahul told the gathering. Seeking to connect with the audience, Rahul alleged that dalits, extremely backward classes, other backward classes and adivasis have long faced systemic oppression and have been denied access to quality education through various means, including the leaking of exam papers. “Exam paper leaks are just a part of the conspiracy to destroy your academic career,” he said, demanding reservation for deprived communities in private academic institutions. He urged marginalised groups to recognise their collective strength. “Just identify your strength. You make up 90% of the total population, but ‘90% ke liye desh me koi rasta nahin hai’ (there is no path for such a large section in this country),” he said. Highlighting their underrepresentation, he pointed out the lack of presence in the bureaucracy, judiciary, educational institutions and medical colleges and called for unity among the deprived classes. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
‘Dhokebaaz Sarkaar’: Rahul Gandhi’s Fiery Speech After Bihar Police Denies Meet With Dalit Students
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tears into the NDA, calling it a “Double Engine Dhokebaaz Sarkaar” after being stopped by Bihar Police from visiting Dalit and backward students at the Ambedkar Hostel. Accusing the BJP-led alliance of stifling democracy and fearing dialogue, Rahul says the Modi government only bows to pressure, not justice. He promises caste census and justice for all if Congress comes to power. In a dramatic move, he walked to the hostel after his car was stopped. Watch his fiery attack on the Bihar and central government over caste, constitution, and education. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Is communicating with Dalits a sin, asks Congress over Rahul Gandhi’s Darbhanga address permission
It is the height of dictatorship that the JDU-BJP government prevented Rahul Gandhi from attending the ‘Shiksha Nyay Samvad’ program at the Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar, says Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi holds a portrait of Dr BR Ambedkar during the Shiksha Nyay Samvad programme, in Darbhanga, Thursday, May 15, 2025. Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi holds a portrait of Dr BR Ambedkar during the Shiksha Nyay Samvad programme, in Darbhanga, Thursday, May 15, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday (May 15, 2025) hit out at the JDU-BJP government in Bihar, accusing it of sheer dictatorship by “preventing” Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi from holding a ‘Shiksha Nyay Samvad’ in Darbhanga. Mr. Gandhi addressed students at Mithila University’s Ambedkar Hostel, despite being allegedly denied permission to hold the event. “Is communicating with Dalit, deprived and backward class students against the Constitution? Is it a sin to talk to them about their education, their recruitment exams and jobs,” asked Mr. Kharge. “It is the height of dictatorship that the JDU-BJP government prevented Rahul Gandhi from attending the ‘Shiksha Nyay Samvad’ program at the Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar,” he said in a post on X in Hindi. Kharge said the birthplace of democracy Bihar will remember this “injustice” and will give a befitting reply to JDU-BJP when the time comes. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a video of police action in preventing Gandhi from going to the Ambedkar students hostel in Darbhanga. “India is a democracy, it is governed by the Constitution, not by dictatorship. No one can stop us from raising our voice for social justice and education,” Ramesh said in his post on X. The Congress had also expressed outrage on the suggestion by the authorities to change the venue to an alternative site. Addressing the students, Gandhi claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to hold a caste census “out of fear” of the country’s deprived population, to which the opposition was lending its voice. The leader of the opposition made the remark at a charged-up interaction with students in Darbhanga district of Bihar. “As you all are aware, my car was stopped at the gate (of Mithila University). But I did not relent. I got out and took a circuitous route to reach here on foot,” said the Rae Bareli MP, who launched ‘Shiksha Nyay Samvad’, a public interaction programme in Bihar where assembly polls are due later this year. Courtesy : The Hindu Note: This news is originally published on https://thehindu.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Bihar Politics: Rahul Gandhi blew the Congress trumpet in Bihar, how important are Dalit voters in the state, know in 5 points
Bihar Politics: Assembly elections are to be held in Bihar in October-November. Before this, Rahul Gandhi has started the exercise of giving a new lease of life to the Congress by playing the Dalit card in Bihar politics. This has alerted all the parties. Know how important the Dalit card is in Bihar. Bihar Politics: Whether as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha or as a Congress MP on the road, a new form of Rahul Gandhi is visible. Rahul will be seen talking about the Constitution, the rights of Dalits given in it and Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar everywhere. This is part of Rahul Gandhi’s exercise, in which he is trying to connect Dalit voters with the Congress again. Due to this, he has also been talking about caste census everywhere. Along with this, there have been claims of pressure from Congress behind the caste survey conducted by Nitish Kumar’s government in Bihar, which was a partner in the government with Nitish Kumar’s JDU at the time of the survey. The first test of this exercise of Rahul Gandhi is Bihar, where assembly elections (Bihar Assembly Election 2025) are going to be held in October-November. Dalit voters have special importance in Bihar politics. This is the reason why Rahul Gandhi reached Darbhanga on Thursday (May 15) to meet Dalit students despite all the obstacles and after reaching Patna, he watched the film ‘Phule’ based on Dalit social reformers Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule. The importance of this tour for Rahul can be gauged in such a way that he met Dalit students in Ambedkar hostel despite all the opposition from the administration in Darbhanga. Two FIRs have also been registered against him for this. Let us tell you in 5 points how important Dalit voters are in Bihar and why the elections here are going to prove to be a test for Rahul Gandhi- Dalit voters constitute 19 percent of Bihar’s population Bihar’s politics has always revolved around Dalit and Mahadalit vote banks. There are about 19 percent Dalit voters in Bihar. The state’s Dalit vote bank has so far been influenced by LJP (Ram Vilas Paswan), Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM, CPI (ML). Apart from this, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JDU and Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD have also been a part of it. Nitish Kumar has also found new equations by playing the Mahadalit card among this Dalit vote bank. Before the rise of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar, Dalit voters used to be in the Congress’s share. Rahul Gandhi’s exercise is to return this love of Dalit voters to the Congress, the hope of which has increased after the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 2. 40 assembly seats are reserved in the state Out of 243 seats in Bihar assembly, 40 seats are reserved. Out of these, Dalit Scheduled Caste candidates contest on 38 seats and Scheduled Tribe candidates contest on 2 seats. Congress has been getting the support of Muslim voters in Bihar, which it is expecting this time too. If Congress gets the support of Dalit voters due to Rahul Gandhi’s efforts, then due to Dalit-Muslim equation, Congress can do the miracle which has been keeping away from it for the last several decades. How is Rahul Gandhi trying in Bihar? Rahul Gandhi has visited Bihar 4 times in the last 5 months. On these visits, he has been continuously accusing BJP of trying to snatch the rights of Dalits and calling Nitish Kumar a partner of BJP in this. Along with this, he has also been talking about giving rights to Dalits through caste census. Earlier in ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ also, Rahul Gandhi has been continuously raising the issue of Dalits. To woo Dalits in the state, on Rahul Gandhi’s behest, Congress has removed a strong leader like Akhilesh Prasad Singh and made Dalit leader Rajesh Kumar the state president, while Sushil Pasi has been appointed as the co-in-charge of Bihar. Dalit focus Rahul Gandhi is raising three demands Rahul Gandhi has been raising three demands to woo Dalit voters to his camp, the first of which is to conduct caste census in the country. After the Modi government announced caste census, Rahul has tried to take credit for it by loudly calling it the result of Congress’ pressure. The second demand is to ensure funding under the government’s SC/ST sub-plan scheme and the third demand is to implement reservation in private institutions as well. Let us tell you that SC/ST sub-plan fund is a fixed part of the budget for the socio-economic development of Dalits in every state’s plan. Rahul Gandhi says that Dalits are not getting this fund. If Congress rises, Nitish will suffer a direct loss The separation between Congress and Dalit voters in Bihar started after the rise of Nitish Kumar’s JDU. In such a situation, it is believed that if Dalit voters join Congress again, Nitish Kumar will suffer a direct loss. In the NDA alliance, JDU’s status in Bihar is higher than BJP. This means that if Nitish Kumar’s party goes down, then it will be BJP’s loss. This math can be understood from the following figures- In Bihar elections 1990, Congress got 24.78% votes. In Bihar elections 1995, Congress got 16.30% votes. In Bihar elections 2000, Congress got only 11.06% votes. In Bihar elections 2005, Congress’s fort collapsed with 6.09% votes. In Bihar elections 2010, Congress tried to rise with 8.37% votes. In Bihar elections 2015, Congress got only 6.7% votes. In Bihar elections 2020, Congress again got 9.48% by joining RJD. Courtesy : Kuldeep Panwar, Hindi News
Why did Rahul Gandhi suddenly reach PMO? Met Prime Minister Modi
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi reached to discuss the appointment of CBI Director with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The appointment of CBI Director is done by a high-level committee, which includes the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and Chief Justice. New Delhi: Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has reached PMO. He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to sources, Rahul Gandhi reached to meet PM regarding the appointment of the next CBI Director. Apart from Rahul Gandhi, CJI Sanjeev Khanna has also reached to meet PM. Who appoints the CBI Director? The selection process and possible candidates for the post of CBI Director are to be discussed. The opinion of the Leader of Opposition is considered important in the appointment of CBI Director, as this selection is done by a high-level committee, which includes the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and Chief Justice of India. This committee is chaired by the Prime Minister. How is the CBI Director appointed? The appointment of CBI Director is done under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. The candidate for this post is selected by a committee consisting of the Prime Minister (Chairman), the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge nominated by him. The tenure of the Director is two years, which can be extended subject to conditions prescribed by the Central Government. Candidates are usually senior officers of the Indian Police Service (IPS), who are selected on the basis of their experience, impartiality and administrative ability. Opposition has raised questions on CBI in the last few years In the last few years, the opposition has constantly raised questions about the impartiality and autonomy of the CBI. Other opposition parties including the Congress have been alleging that the CBI is being used by the central government to target political opponents. The controversy deepened after the removal of the then CBI Director Alok Verma in 2018, when the opposition called it an attack on the independence of the investigating agency. Apart from this, the opposition has also questioned the pace and direction of the CBI’s investigation in many high-profile cases, with some cases being allegedly run at the behest of the government. About the author Anubhav Shakya After studying journalism from IIMC in 2021, he entered journalism with Zee News. Born in Etah, UP but studied in Aligarh. After writing national and international news there for about one and a half years, he is now working in the news team at Navbharat Times. Courtesy: Anubhav Shakya, NBT, Hindi News
Caste enumeration announced with an eye on Bihar elections: Surjewala
Patna: Expressing doubts over the NDA govt’s recent announcement of caste enumeration in the upcoming census, All-India Congress Committee general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala on Monday said the announcement by the Narendra Modi govt is an election stunt of the BJP as neither the date of its commencement was announced nor the deadline to complete it. Surjewala, while talking to reporters in Patna, cited the govt’s official statements in Parliament and shared some affidavits it submitted in the Supreme Court in the past to prove his point. He even said the govt buckled under Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s pressure on this issue. “Congress wants caste census for bringing social changes in society while the BJP-led govt announced it with an eye on Bihar elections scheduled in Oct-Nov. Share in power as per one’s population is not a mere rhetoric for the Congress but the crux of its ideological fight for over a decade,” he said, adding the determination of the party and its leader Rahul Gandhi “shook the foundation of the Modi govt, which announced the caste enumeration along the census.” Surjewala accused the BJP of conspiring against the backward communities in the country. “The UPA govt conducted a caste census in 2011. Its report was presented in July 2015, but the Modi govt did not release it. Since then, the Congress has been struggling determinedly for conducting the caste census,” he said in Patna. Surjewala added the BJP and RSS had publicly denied the idea of the caste census. “While RSS leader Bhaiyyaji Joshi clearly opposed it in 2010, the NDA govt constituted an expert group under Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya to study the 2011 census report and submit a caste-wise analysis. But, despite the cabinet decision on July 16, 2015, PM Modi and his govt didn’t appoint any member in the ‘expert group’,” Surjewala said, accusing them of throwing the 2011 census report in dustbin and cited an affidavit submitted on Sept 21, 2021, in the apex court to prove his point. The case pertains to the then Maharashtra govt’s petition in the Supreme Court in 2021 against the Centre regarding OBC reservation in panchayats. “The Modi govt strongly opposed it and asserted that it was not appropriate to conduct caste census along with the census. By doing this, all the data of the census itself will get distorted. It is also administratively impossible to collect caste data of backward classes in the census and even if done so, it will neither be complete nor accurate,” Surjewala said, quoting the govt. He added when Bihar decided to conduct caste survey, the Modi govt, in an affidavit in a case on August 28, 2023, rejected the right of the state govt to conduct the caste census. “As an uproar started, the Modi govt filed a new affidavit and removed paragraph 5 from it,” he alleged. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.