Patna: Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday paid tribute to legendary freedom fighter and Dalit icon Jaglal Choudhary on his 130th birth anniversary in Patna where he amplified his 'social justice' pitch ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.
Choudhary, who hailed from the Pasi community, was a minister in the first provincial government in 1937.
Speaking at Choudhary's birth anniversary, Rahul launched a scathing attack at the BJP and PM Modi led NDA government at the Centre over the alleged neglect of Dalits.
“Talk about power structure. Whether it be education sector, health, corporate India, business, or judiciary, how much representation do you have? People say that Dalits have been given representation, which is true. But representation without participation in the power structure has no meaning. This is as good as making you sit on the stage and taking decisions back stage,” Rahul said.
“PM Modi talks about giving representation to people, but the MLAs and MPs have been rendered powerless. While distributing ministerial berths, RSS ideologues are made OSDs. So the question is about control and participation,” he added.
Wednesday's is Gandhi's second visit Bihar in less than three weeks. Earlier, on Jan 18, the Congress MP attended the Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan, as part of the Congress campaign for “safeguarding the Constitution”.
The Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee is banking on Rahul Gandhi's address at the Jaglal Choudhary birth anniversary to woo the Dalit vote constituency ahead of the state polls scheduled later this year.
Who Was Jaglal Choudhary?
Jaglal Choudhary is highly regarded in the country as a Dalit icon and legendary freedom fighter, who became the first Dalit minister in the first provincial government in Bihar in 1937. Choudhary was the first Dalit to be made a cabinet minister. Jaglal Chaudhary was made the Cabinet Minister of Excise and Public Health Department on 20 July 1937.
Read more:
- Rahul Gandhi To Honour Late Dalit Leader Feb 5 To Push Congress In Bihar
- PM Modi Slams Rahul, Kejriwal In His Reply To Motion Of Thanks To Prez Address In Lok Sabha
- Congress Upbeat Over Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha Speech, Terms It Iconic, Visionary
