Political maneuvering is in full swing in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in the voter list has played a crucial role in intensifying the political activity. While the ruling NDA alliance is continuously presenting its arguments in its favor, the opposition parties, in the form of the Mahagathbandhan, are also adopting an aggressive stance. The Congress, through Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Rights Yatra,’ is attempting to establish the Mahagathbandhan among the people. This journey is also proving to be a relief for Pappu Yadav and Kanhaiya Kumar because they were not allowed to board the rath (chariot) during the previous rally.
During that time, the Congress also took to the streets to protest against the SIR process. The Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, and all the opposition parties had called for a Bihar bandh (strike) on July 9th last month to protest against the SIR. Rahul Gandhi himself arrived in Bihar to support the Bihar bandh. He rode on a specially prepared rath with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav. However, this journey suddenly came into the limelight when some videos went viral on social media. The viral videos showed that Pappu Yadav, MP from Purnia, and Kanhaiya Kumar, who were trying to board the rath, were not allowed to do so. This was also mocked by the opposition parties, especially the BJP.
During the Bihar bandh, a procession was taken out in Patna under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. Tejashwi, the RJD leader, was also on the rath with Rahul Gandhi. Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar was also trying to board the rath, but security personnel stopped him from getting on. He could not board the rath. Whereas, along with Rahul and Tejashwi Yadav, Dipankar Bhattacharya (CPM-Male), Mukesh Sahni (VIP), and several other opposition party leaders were already present.
Similarly, another incident occurred when Rahul and Tejashwi were both on an open van during the demonstration. Several other leaders of the India alliance were boarding this van, but when Pappu Yadav, the Lok Sabha MP from Purnia, also tried to board the van, the security personnel stationed there did not allow him to board and stopped him. Both these leaders are considered very important for the Congress in Bihar politics.
Young leader Kanhaiya Kumar is considered to have a good hold among the youth of Bihar. At the same time, the popularity of 6-time Lok Sabha MP Pappu Yadav in his area can be gauged by the fact that he has won the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate several times. He had also won the last election as an independent candidate.
This protest by the Mahagathbandhan against the SIR process had become less significant due to the incident of not allowing these two leaders to get on the vehicles. The strategists of the Congress itself were also embarrassed. Now, the Congress, once again, is taking out the Voter Rights Yatra in Bihar, while continuing its protest against the SIR process. Rahul Gandhi is leading it. Party strategists are trying to avoid the previous mistakes this time and are trying to give a place on the stage to Pappu Yadav as well as Kanhaiya Kumar.
During a public meeting held in Sasaram on the first day of the Voter Rights Yatra, along with Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lalu Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Mukesh Sahni, and many other leaders were present on the grand stage. The presence of Pappu Yadav, the MP from Purnia, on this stage surprised everyone. However, he was standing quite on the sidelines. He stood away from Rahul and Tejashwi. Even he appeared to be distant from Mukesh Sahni, the leader of the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP).
Kanhaiya Kumar did not appear on this stage. But when RJD leaders Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav were not present on the stage, Kanhaiya Kumar was seen talking to the top leaders of the Congress. He was seen talking to Rahul and party general secretary KC Venugopal for a long time.
This Voter Rights Yatra of Rahul Gandhi has been started just before the elections and will last for 16 days. During the journey, a distance of about 1300 kilometers will be covered, covering more than 20 districts. The journey started from Sasaram and will now pass through districts like Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada, Nalanda, Munger, Bhagalpur, Purnia, Supaul, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan, Chhapra, and Ara. This journey will conclude with a massive rally on September 1st at Gandhi Maidan in Patna.
It is said in political circles that Tejashwi Yadav does not like Congress leaders Pappu Yadav and Kanhaiya Kumar much. Kanhaiya Kumar is considered to have considerable popularity among the youth of Bihar. His two ‘No to Migration’ journeys have greatly helped the Congress in regaining its foothold in Bihar. The Congress is trying to find its lost ground in Bihar through Kanhaiya. Considering his aggressive style, the Congress is continuously promoting Kanhaiya Kumar. However, the RJD does not like his attitude much, and that is why it has kept him away from its stages.
Pappu Yadav has his own distinct image. During the Corona crisis, he had openly helped the people of his state. He is ready to help continuously. Due to the opposition from the RJD, the Congress did not give a ticket to Pappu Yadav from Purnia, but he contested as an independent and won. During the journey in Sasaram, when Pappu Yadav met Lalu Yadav, Pappu Yadav touched the feet of the RJD chief and sought his blessings, a video of which was also shared on social media by Tejashwi Yadav.
But now the situation is changing in Bihar. The Congress is trying to find its place through SIR and Voter Rights Yatra. This is the reason why, through Pappu Yadav and Kanhaiya Kumar, the Congress wants to improve its performance along with increasing its vote bank in Bihar. Also, it is like good news for these two leaders that the way they were treated last time is not visible this time. The way both the leaders appeared in the Voter Rights Yatra on the first day will also be visible in the next 15 days of the journey.
