Kanhaiya Kumar Among Congress Workers Detained During Protest March To Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s Residence
Patna Police on Friday used water cannons and detained several Congress workers as they attempted to march toward Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s residence during the party’s ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ padyatra in Bihar’s capital. The protest, aimed at highlighting the issues of unemployment and large-scale migration from the state, witnessed a face-off between police and workers, including senior leaders.
Police intervened and stopped the march near the CM's residence, leading to a confrontation. Among those detained was National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) national in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar, along with several other Congress workers.
Bihar Congress posted on X, "Even though the police arrested the youth and took them away from Kotwali police station in Patna, they could not suppress their voice." In a video shared with the post, Kanhaiya-led Congress workers can be seen raising the slogan of 'Halla Bol' amid detention.
Addressing the gathering during the padyatra, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot criticised the Nitish Kumar-led government over the rising migration of youth from the state. “The government should stop the migration that has been happening from Bihar in lakhs. We are asking for accountability. The youth have marched on the streets with us… The government releases numbers only to mislead us. The reality is far from it,” Pilot said, as per news agency ANI.
Kanhaiya Kumar, who was also part of the march, alleged that the police stopped them from meeting the Chief Minister. “We were on our way to meet the Chief Minister, but Bihar Police brought us to the police station. Now there are only two possibilities, either we are taken to meet the Chief Minister so he can hear our demands, or we are sent to jail. Even from jail, we will raise our voice and share our demands,” he told news agency IANS.
Reaffirming the party’s adherence to peaceful protest, Kumar added, “We are followers of Gandhi, we believe in truth and non-violence, and we put forward our demands through Satyagraha. Our intent in meeting the Chief Minister was to share various issues that people have told us about during this yatra. Farmers are not getting fair prices for their crops, maize farmers are not getting a proper rate, makhana farmers aren’t getting fair compensation, there is no MSP on maize…”
'Congress is not a force here, it's dependent on RJD': Prashant Kishor on party's protest
Reacting to Congress leader Sachin Pilot’s participation in the padyatra, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor said, “This is democracy and everyone has the right to do their work… Congress is not a force here, it is dependent on RJD…”
The ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ march is part of the Congress party’s outreach campaign in Bihar to raise issues concerning youth employment and agrarian distress, particularly in the context of increasing outward migration from the state. The protest comes ahead of assembly elections in the state, which are slated to take place later this year.
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