The “Palayan Roko, Naukri Do (Stop migration, give jobs) Yatra” of the Congress kicked off from the Bhitiharwa Ashram in West Champaran district — the place from where Mahatma Gandhi had started his famous Champaran Satyagraha in 1917 — on Sunday.

“Have you ever seen people of Punjab or Haryana working in our agriculture fields?” The question was asked by Kanhaiya Kumar, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), and immediately grabbed the attention of the young men and women present there.

They understood the insinuation and responded with claps as Kanhaiya continued: “Why don’t we have any Bangalore or Hyderabad? This reality is the biggest sting (misery or suffering) of Bihar. The issue of migration has been deliberately kept away from politics and polls. We are taking out the yatra to ensure that the issues related to youth are on top in the election manifestos.”

“We are raising the issue of migration because we want jobs for everybody. Migration happens due to the lack of education, employment, health facilities, and work opportunities. The situation is such that the people of Bihar have to go outside not only for jobs, but also for their honeymoon,” Kanhaiya added.

Kanhaiya further asserted that we would have to think about the future of our children and youth and will have to ensure jobs for them if we want to improve Bihar. He also raised the issue of paper leaks in competitive examinations in the state.

The newly appointed AICC Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Uday Bhanu Chib, NSUI president Varun Chaudhary and several other leaders were present at the inauguration of the Yatra.

Launching the yatra, Allavaru pointed out that the issues plaguing Bihar were not being discussed, including why examination papers leaked or recruitment was stalled and who was responsible for them.

“Nobody talks about inflation eating away the pockets and savings of the common people. Nobody mentions the problems of education because of which our children leave the state. Lack of good and cheap hospitals and health facilities is also a problem because of which the people are forced to go to other states,” Allavaru said.

The AICC Bihar in-charge pointed out that witnessing the suffering of the people of Bihar, the Congress was going to become their voice and question the government.

“This Yatra is a fight for the rights and employment of the youth of Bihar. It is the beginning of the ‘nyaya kranti’ (revolution for justice) here. It will go to different places in the state,” Allavaru said.

The march will traverse the state in three phases over 24 days and will end in Patna on the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar on April 14. It will cover West Champaran, East Champaran, Sheohar, Muzaffarpur and Samastipur districts in the first phase.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to join the yatra for a day in one of the phases.

The Palayan Roko, Naukri Do Yatra comes at a time when Bihar Assembly elections are just about eight months away. It comes on the heels of the recent yatras undertaken by chief minister Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) leader Prashant Kishor.

Sources in the Congress said that the main aim of the march was to fill workers and supporters with enthusiasm and revive the party, which had become weak over the past years and is seen as a subservient ally of the RJD. Pertinent issues would be raised that could touch the heart of the people and garner their support.