Rahul Gandhi on Bihar CM's u-turn: INDIA bloc does not need Nitish Kumar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, January 30, hit out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for walking out of INDIA coalition ahead of Lok Sabha election 2024.

Addressing a public gathering in Purnea during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Gandhi said, "A little pressure is exerted, and he (Nitish Kumar) takes a U-turn. Mahagathbandhan will fight for social justice in Bihar, we don't need Nitish Kumar."

Gandhi backed for caste-based census in the country to determine exact population of Dalits, OBCs and others. He said dalits and backward classes do not get due representation in all sectors of the country. "All I am saying is that the time has come for an X-ray of India to ascertain who has how much population in this country. The first step towards social justice is an X-ray of the country," he added.

Kumar, who had joined the Mahagathbandhan in August 2022, accusing the BJP of having tried to engineer a split in the JD(U), made an abrupt return to the NDA on January 28 when he resigned, only to form a new government with the saffron party.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi interacted with farmers and said the Narendra Modi government at the Centre has "lost the trust of farmers".

Speaking with a 'gamchha' (towel) wrapped around his head, in a fashion that has been popular among the state's farmers and labourers for generations, Gandhi said, "The (Modi) government has failed to allay the fears of farmers. In fact, it has lost their trust. I request you to give us a chance and we will try to win back your trust."

As his words evoked applause, he added: "Please note that these are not hollow words. Our past record speaks for itself. We brought a farmer-friendly land acquisition bill, waived loans worth Rs 72,000 crore. And in states like Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan (where the party was in power till recently), we ensured that farmers get adequate price for their produce."