Begusarai / Patna : Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s much-anticipated padyatra in Bihar’s Begusarai lasted just 24 minutes on Monday, with the Congress leader covering a mere one kilometre on foot. Originally scheduled to include a street address, the meeting was abruptly cancelled without explanation.
Rahul Gandhi participated in the march alongside senior party figures, including former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram. The march was part of a broader campaign against unemployment and migration, spearheaded by Kumar under the slogan “Stop migration and give jobs”.
The event drew a crowd of approximately 10,000 people, according to local estimates. Rahul Gandhi was seen engaging directly with participants, at one point calling a young man from the crowd to walk beside him. Women workers from the Congress Seva Dal were also seen conversing with him during the procession.
Though the programme was slated to run from 11am to 11:45am, Gandhi departed for Patna at 11:41am — four minutes ahead of schedule. No reason was given for the cancellation of the planned street meeting near Kapsya Chowk Township Gate.
This marks Rahul Gandhi’s third visit to Bihar in the last four months, signalling the party’s renewed focus on the state in the run-up to the general elections. After arriving in Patna at 10am, he held brief meetings with party leaders at the airport before heading to the Sri Krishna Memorial Hall to participate in the Constitution Protection Conference.
The event, organised by civil society groups and attended by over 5,000 registered participants from nearly 200 organisations, aimed to commemorate key figures of India’s independence movement. According to organiser Anil Jai Hind, the gathering paid tribute to leaders such as Babu Jagjivan Ram, Budha Nonia, and Amar Shaheed Prajapati Ramchandra Vidyarthi, whose birth anniversaries and contributions were highlighted during the event.
