Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Patna on Wednesday to attend the 130th birth anniversary celebration of freedom fighter Jaglal Chaudhary at Shri Krishna Memorial Hall.
This will mark his second visit to Bihar within 20 days, following his participation in the ‘Save Constitution Conclave’ on January 18, which sparked political discussions on social justice issues.
The event commemorating Jaglal Chaudhary, a prominent leader of the Dalit community, aligns with the Congress party’s strategy to engage Dalit and backward-class voters ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, expected in October-November.
The ‘Save Constitution Conclave’ in Patna, led by Rahul Gandhi, was part of this outreach, drawing participation from Dalits, tribals, minorities, and backward-class representatives from across the state.
Recently, several prominent politicians and social activists from Bihar, including former Rajya Sabha MP Ali Anwar Ansari, have joined the Congress. Ansari, the founder of the All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz, represents backward-class Muslims in the state.
Rahul Gandhi has acknowledged the Congress party’s past failure to maintain the trust of Dalits and backward communities, which, he argues, contributed to the rise of the RSS.
In an effort to regain lost ground, the party is intensifying its focus on Dalits, tribals, and backward classes, who constitute 73 per cent of the population. He has frequently accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of depriving these communities of their rights.
This renewed focus on marginalized communities is expected to energize Congress leaders and workers as they prepare for the upcoming assembly elections.
Jaglal Chaudhary, originally from Saran district, was a freedom fighter and one of the four cabinet ministers in Bihar’s interim government.
Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s movements, he abandoned his final-year medical studies at Calcutta Medical College to join the freedom struggle. His two sons also played significant roles in India’s fight for independence.