Modi-Nitish govt strangled aspirations of youth in Bihar: Rahul Gandhi

Gandhi asserted that now is the time for change and to reaffirm the Mahagathbandhan's resolve for justice. He made the remarks in a post on X, accompanied by a video of his interaction with youth

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that the "Modi-Nitish" government has strangled the aspirations of the youth in Bihar, left the state abandoned and pushed it into an abyss on every development parameter.

Gandhi asserted that now is the time for change and to reaffirm the Mahagathbandhan's resolve for justice. He made the remarks in a post on X, accompanied by a video of his interaction with Bihar's youth recently.

"A few days ago, I had a very interesting conversation with the youth of Bihar on -- education, health, employment -- every issue. And, there is only one culprit responsible for the deplorable state on all these counts -- the BJP-JDU government," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in his post in Hindi.

"The youth of Bihar are well aware of how, over the past 20 years, this Modi-Nitish government has strangled their aspirations, left the state abandoned, and pushed it into the abyss on every parameter," he said.

Gandhi pointed out that on the education front, in terms of dropout rate in classes 9 to 10, Bihar is 27th out of 29 states; in enrollment rate in classes 11 and 12, it is 28th out of 29 states; and in female literacy, the state is 28th out of 29 states. 

On the job front, in terms of employment in the service sector, Bihar is ranked 21st; while in the industry/manufacturing sector, it is 23rd, he said.

The former Congress chief also said that in terms of infant mortality rate, Bihar is 27th out of 29 in health coverage through insurance schemes; and in access to toilets in households, it is in the 29th position.

He further pointed out that on the human development front, Bihar is 27th in terms of Human Development Index (HDI) and 25th in terms of per capita income.

"These are not just numbers; they are a mirror, a rear-view mirror showing how far this 'double engine' has dragged Bihar back from progress. All the Bihari youths I met are extremely talented and intelligent. With their capabilities and hard work, they can shine anywhere, but the government has given them unemployment and despair instead of opportunities."  "Now is the time for change, to rekindle Bihar's pride. It is time to reaffirm the Mahagathbandhan's resolve for justice," Gandhi said.

In his interaction with the students from Bihar studying in Delhi, Gandhi asks if they have been literally forced to move out of the state studies and gets the answer in the affirmative. The youths cited the condition of the educational institutions in the state.

In the video, one of the students flagged discrimination, saying "Bihari" is used as an abuse in universities here. A woman student talked about the negative profiling of the state.

The 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls in two phases -- on November 6 and November 11 -- with results set to be announced on November 14.