Patna: The Congress party, along with its youth wings, Youth Congress and NSUI, announced a mass march against migration in Bihar, set to commence from Bhitiharwa in Champaran on March 16. The ‘Palayan Roko, Naukari Do Padytra (Stop Migration, Give Job Padyatra)’ aims to address issues of education, employment, and governance failures, culminating in Patna after covering multiple districts.
Addressing a press conference at Sadakat Ashram, NSUI national in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar said the march would serve as a protest against the injustices faced by the people of Bihar, particularly students and job seekers. “The way injustice was done to BPSC candidates is shameful. Bihar will not develop without ensuring education and employment,” Kanhaiya said. He highlighted the dire state of higher education, citing how a three-year degree in Bihar often extends to five years due to administrative inefficiencies. “In many colleges, there are 25,000 students but only 10 teachers,” he added.
Kanhaiya criticized the BJP-Nitish Kumar government for failing to curb large-scale migration from Bihar, citing official government data that states nearly 2.9 crore youth have left the state due to lack of opportunities. “If the government truly cared about Digital India, how many digital classrooms have been built in rural Bihar?” he questioned.
The NSUI leader urged students and unemployed youth to join the padyatra, which he described as a ‘call for justice.’ He stressed that the campaign was not just about unemployment but also about deteriorating academic standards, rampant paper leaks in competitive exams, and the overall state of governance. “We will meet the youth, listen to their concerns, and take this fight to the streets,” he said.
Congress Bihar in-charge Krishna Allwaru echoed Kumar’s sentiments, calling migration an economic, social, and political disease that has plagued the state for decades. He asserted that the Congress party would fight for the rights of students and job seekers in Parliament, the state assembly, and on the ground.
Other Congress leaders present included Youth Congress national president Uday Bhanu Chib, NSUI national president Varun Chaudhary, Bihar Youth Congress president Shivprakash Garibdas, and NSUI Bihar president Jaishankar Prasad, among others. They collectively demanded immediate appointments for 1.5 lakh candidates selected in the armed forces between 2019 and 2022, filling of vacant government posts, an end to corruption in recruitment processes, and strict action against job paper leaks.
The padyatra will also draw inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy in Champaran, with leaders vowing to oppose what they called an ‘autocratic’ government that has failed to address the aspirations of Bihar’s youth. The Congress party hopes the march will mobilize students and young professionals to demand systemic reforms and greater accountability from the government.
