Patna, April 7 As senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kicked off his ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ padayatra from Begusarai on Monday, Union Textile Minister and local Member of Parliament Giriraj Singh dismissed the visit as politically inconsequential.
Speaking to reporters at Patna airport, Singh ridiculed Gandhi’s campaign against migration, saying, “Rahul Gandhi himself keeps migrating -- from Uttar Pradesh to Kerala and now to Bihar. How can someone like that talk about stopping migration in the state? His visit won’t have any impact here.”
Singh touted the achievements of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government, claiming that Bihar had undergone a transformation since 2005 under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“From roads and bridges to employment, Bihar has progressed significantly. Eight lakh government jobs have already been given, and four lakh more are in the pipeline. Rahul Gandhi should do his homework before making tall claims,” he said.
Taking a dig at the Congress’s past promises, Singh invoked a historical reference. “Rahul Gandhi is in Begusarai today, but it was his father, Rajiv Gandhi, who promised a petrochemical plant here back in 1985. He became an MP twice but never delivered. Now, under Modi’s leadership, the Barauni Refinery has been modernized at a cost of Rs 25,000 crore, and Begusarai is witnessing large-scale chemical and fertilizer production.”
Singh also accused Gandhi of being ideologically opposed to Hindu symbolism. “Rahul Gandhi hates saffron -- that’s why his padayatra is all in white. Let him walk around spreading confusion. It won’t change the reality on the ground.”
Meanwhile, Gandhi, accompanied by Congress youth leader Kanhaiya Kumar, began the much-publicized padayatra amid large crowds and enthusiastic youth participation.
The campaign is aimed at highlighting issues of unemployment and forced migration and forms part of the Congress's broader effort to regain political ground in Bihar ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections.
After taking part in the padyatra for a while, Rahul Gandhi returned to Patna to attend the Social Justice Conference and will later hold organisational meetings with party workers at Sadaqat Ashram.
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