PATNA: As Bihar gears up for its assembly polls, the political battlefield is heating up — and social justice is fast emerging as the central plank of both the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc. Each side is scrambling to position itself as the authentic voice of the marginalised.
With this in mind, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to visit Nalanda — the home turf of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar — on June 6. The visit will mark his fifth trip to the state in five months, and this time, the focus is squarely on wooing the Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) and Other Backward Castes (OBCs). During his previous visit to Darbhanga, Rahul had concentrated on expanding the Congress base among Dalits.
Numbers Speak Volumes
EBCs and OBCs together make up over 63% of Bihar’s population (EBCs 36% and OBCs 27.1%), while Dalits account for nearly 20% (19.6%). The fight for their votes is not just about arithmetic — it’s about identity, representation, and legacy.
Traditionally the stronghold of regional socialist parties like RJD and JD(U), the politics of social justice is now being aggressively pursued by the BJP. Determined not to be outflanked, the saffron party is crafting its own narrative.
Speaking in Bikramganj on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a veiled swipe at the Congress, accusing it of peddling “false narratives” of social justice in a desperate bid to regain power.
“When the government delivers benefits directly to the people, it dismantles discrimination and corruption. That is the true face of social justice,” Modi declared.
‘Lacking Ground Strength’
Despite the top-level push, questions linger about the Congress’s ground strength. A political observer pointed out that while national leaders continue to rally in Bihar, the party’s organisational machinery remains weak.
“The Congress revival plan seems stalled without grassroots workers to carry it forward. Still, all eyes are on 2029 — this is groundwork,” noted a senior journalist.
Meanwhile, the RJD-Congress alliance is trying to sharpen its appeal among backward communities with demands such as reservation in the private sector and removal of the 50% cap on quotas.
Pushpendra Kumar Singh, former professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, offered a strategic reading of Modi’s rhetoric: “The Prime Minister targeted Congress directly while avoiding a frontal attack on the RJD. Doing so could have triggered voter consolidation across castes that hold social justice dear.”
The Bigger Picture
While Operation Sindoor may have limited impact in the coming Bihar assembly polls, it’s increasingly clear that social justice politics will be the defining theme of this electoral cycle.
As Bihar’s complex caste equations play out, the narrative is shifting from promises to performance, from symbolism to substance. In the battle for Bihar, whoever owns the story of social justice may just win the war.
