Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was stopped by police on Thursday while attempting to visit the Ambedkar Welfare Hostel in Darbhanga, where he was scheduled to interact with students as part of the Congress&rsquo;s &lsquo;Shiksha Nyay Samvad&rsquo; outreach.
Local authorities denied him access to the hostel premises, leading to protests from senior Bihar Congress leaders who demanded the gates be opened. Despite the obstruction, Gandhi exited his vehicle and continued the journey on foot, walking approximately 2.5 kilometres to the hostel, accompanied by party workers and supporters.
The Congress had organised the programme at the Ambedkar hostel to engage with students from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Class (OBC), and Extremely Backward Class (EBC) communities. However, the district administration reportedly shifted the venue to the Town Hall late on Wednesday night after initially refusing permission for the hostel site.&nbsp;
Congress leaders maintained their position, insisting that the event be held at the originally designated location.
As Gandhi&rsquo;s convoy was halted at the hostel gate, police officers informed him that the Town Hall had been assigned for the event. Nonetheless, Gandhi got out of his car and proceeded towards the hostel on foot. Congress workers, including Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan and Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh, were present at the site, raising slogans in support of Gandhi.
A stage had already been erected near the Ambedkar hostel, and a crowd of students and Congress members stood firm on holding the programme there.&nbsp;
Bihar Congress leaders accused the administration of deliberately obstructing the initiative. Senior Congress leader Abhay Dubey, addressing a press conference in Patna, said, &ldquo;The administration in Darbhanga is acting at the behest of the JD(U)-BJP combine. Hundreds of students from nearby districts like Madhubani and Samastipur are being stopped from entering Darbhanga. But the administration should realise that Rahul Gandhi enjoys the support of the deprived sections of this country.&rdquo;
Dubey also rejected the administration&rsquo;s justification that no prior permission had been obtained for the hostel venue. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s unfortunate that such tactics are being used to silence a dialogue meant to address education inequality,&rdquo; he said.
Although police did not grant formal permission for Gandhi to interact with the students, he reached the hostel and addressed the gathering while holding a photograph of Dr B R Ambedkar.&nbsp;
In a video posted on the social media platform X by the Indian National Congress, Gandhi accused the NDA government of attempting to block his engagement with marginalised students. &ldquo;In Bihar, the NDA&rsquo;s double engine deceitful government is preventing me from interacting with Dalit and backward students at Ambedkar Hostel,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;Since when has dialogue become a crime? Nitish ji, what are you afraid of? Do you want to hide the state of education and social justice in Bihar? There is no democracy left in the government. I am just asking three things, government should invest in the education sector, break the cap of 50% reservation and give reservation in private educational institutions,&rdquo; Gandhi stated in the video.
During his speech, Gandhi criticised the government&rsquo;s approach to marginalised communities. &ldquo;In the country, Dalits, backward classes, extremely backward classes, and tribals face injustice 24 hours a day. You face discrimination and are obstructed in the education system. Therefore, our demand is, conduct a caste census in the proper manner, implement reservations in private colleges and universities but Narendra Modi and the Bihar government are not implementing these laws,&rdquo; he said.
Gandhi reiterated the Congress&rsquo;s three primary demands: a caste-based census, reservation in private educational institutions, and enforcement of the SC-ST sub-plan.&nbsp;
He added, &ldquo;So we will put pressure on them and ensure this is done. Just as they could not stop us from coming here, they will not be able to stop us in the future either. Until they implement reservations in private institutions, we will keep advancing, keep fighting.&rdquo;
Criticising the Bihar police, Gandhi said, &ldquo;The Bihar police tried to stop me, but they couldn&rsquo;t. They couldn&rsquo;t stop us because I have the strength of the youth behind me. No power in the world can stop me. India has democracy and is governed by the Constitution, not by dictatorship. No one can stop us from raising our voice for social justice and education.&rdquo;
He urged students to recognise their collective strength, stating, &ldquo;The country&rsquo;s 90% population needs to understand its strength.&rdquo; He alleged that members of Dalit, backward, and tribal communities are systematically excluded from positions of influence.&nbsp;
&ldquo;You won&rsquo;t find anyone from this 90% population. But if you look at the MGNREGA list, you will only find people from the Dalit, backward, and tribal communities. All the contracts, all the wealth, go into the hands of a few people, and you are distracted with misleading narratives, so you must stand together,&rdquo; Gandhi said.
Following the event in Darbhanga, Gandhi proceeded to Patna, where he visited the Congress headquarters at Sadaquat Ashram to view the film Phule. This visit marked his fourth trip to Bihar this year, amid preparations for the upcoming elections in the state.
&nbsp;

Denied entry by police, Rahul Gandhi walks to Darbhanga hostel to address SC, ST, OBC and EBC students.

Rahul Walks After Police Block Hostel Visit

Denied entry by police, Rahul Gandhi walks to Darbhanga hostel to address SC, ST, OBC and EBC students.

May 15, 2025 | 15:32 IST