Patna: Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot is set to join Kanhaiya Kumar’s “Palayan Roko, Naukari Do” padyatra on its final day on Friday, lending weight to a grassroots campaign that has drawn attention to unemployment, migration, and public sector vacancies in Bihar.
Addressing a press conference at Bihar Congress headquarters at Sadaqat Ashram on Thursday, Kanhaiya—national in-charge of the NSUI—accused both the state and central governments of failing Bihar’s people. “More than two lakh teaching posts lie vacant, and people are being forced to migrate in search of work,” he said. “This is not just a policy failure—it’s a betrayal.”
The padyatra, which has traversed multiple districts over the past 26 days, is scheduled to culminate in the state capital on Friday with the submission of a district-wise grievance report to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Kanhaiya alleged that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre had fostered a climate of economic distress, corruption, and lawlessness, while simultaneously promoting nepotism. “Home Minister Amit Shah made his son BCCI chief—what message does that send to Bihar’s unemployed youth?” he asked.
Pilot’s decision to join the yatra is being seen as a show of solidarity from the party’s national leadership, especially as the Congress attempts to reframe its relevance in Bihar ahead of the general elections. Pilot, a former Rajasthan deputy chief minister with his own history of rebellion against the party high command, has previously backed youth-centric campaigns, and his presence in Patna is expected to amplify the yatra’s political impact.
Kanhaiya avoided comparisons between current and pre-2005 Bihar governments, saying, “This is not the time to debate the past. The focus must be on addressing the present crisis of employment and poverty.”
Asked why RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav was not invited to the march, Kanhaiya said that even Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had not been extended a formal invitation. “This is an open call. Anyone committed to addressing Bihar’s basic problems is welcome.”
State Congress President Rajesh Kumar also criticized the Nitish Kumar government for cracking down on democratic protests and ignoring opposition voices. “The government doesn’t want to listen, so it resorts to lathicharge,” he said.
