Congress's Rahul Gandhi landed in controversy today after he went to meet students in Bihar at a hostel in Darbhanga, disregarding police barriers. The state government said he was not granted permission for a meeting at the hostel and a couple of cases were filed against him. Mr Gandhi, though, said he has 30-32 such cases against him and he regards them as "medals".
The police had allegedly stopped Mr Gandhi's car from going to the event, but he walked to the hostel and addressed the students there as the Congress launched its "Shiksha Nyay Samvad" programme.
With assembly elections in the state due at the end of this year, the Congress has alleged that the government's move was politically motivated.
"I came here to meet and talk to students who belong to marginalised communities but government officials are not allowing us to go inside," Mr Gandhi told reporters outside the Ambedkar Hostel.
"I only have three questions -- we want the government to put money in education, break down the wall of 50 per cent education, and introduce reservation in private schools as well. We want to peacefully go inside. They don't want us to meet you all so your requirements can be met. But they won't be able to stop us," he added.
Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary alleged that Mr Gandhi had "resorted to hooliganism" even though he was given an alternate venue for that meeting.
"It is painful that where the Leader of Opposition was not allowed to go, his party leaders had booked the town hall, but still he (Rahul Gandhi) forcibly conducted the programme by resorting to hooliganism and using force," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"It is very unfortunate that the country's Leader of Opposition is speaking in such a way, has resorted to hooliganism like this... We only go to the hostel for the Bihar government's scheme. No one is allowed to go there for any political meeting," he said, demanding that Mr Gandhi apologise to the people of Bihar.
Regarding the police cases filed against Mr Gandhi, the Darbhanga district administration, in a statement, said: "The first FIR has been registered based on a complaint filed at Laheriasarai police station by the District Welfare Officer (holding magisterial powers). It states that no permission was granted for the programme at Ambedkar Hostel, yet it was conducted in violation of prohibitory orders." The second case was filed against dozens of unidentified people for flouting the prohibitory orders.
