Saurabh Mukherjee
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, August 23, met makhana farmers in their fields in Katihar as part of his ongoing Voter Adhikar Yatra.
A video shared from the visit showed him stepping into a pond with the farmers and engaging in conversation. Bihar accounts for nearly 90 percent of India’s makhana production, a sector that sustains thousands of farming families.
Later, sharing photographs on X, Rahul wrote, “Bihar produces 90 percent of the world's makhana, but the farmers and labourers who toil day and night under the sun and also in rain do not even earn one percent of the profits. Today, I met these farmers in their fields and learned about their struggles. In big cities, it sells for Rs 1000-2000 rupees per Kg, but these hardworking people, the foundation of the entire industry, receive only a nominal price.”
He went on to say, “Who are these farmers and labourers? Extremely backwards, and Dalit-Bahujan. All the hard work is done by these 99 percent Bahujans, while the profit goes to just one percent of middlemen. The vote-stealing government neither values nor cares for them - neither providing income nor justice. The right to vote and the right to the fruits of their skill are two sides of the same coin - and we will not let either be taken away.”
The plight of makhana cultivators has been under increasing focus in recent months. In her Union Budget speech earlier this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the creation of a Makhana Board in Bihar to improve production, marketing, and value addition.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a rally in Bhagalpur in February, had personally endorsed the crop, revealing that he eats makhanas “at least 300 out of 365 days.”
Rahul’s yatra is drawing participation from a wide range of opposition leaders. Over the coming week, several prominent figures from the INDIA bloc — including Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav — are scheduled to join him at different points.
Bihar heads into assembly elections later this year, and the campaign is taking shape as a direct face-off between Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Modi, with chief minister Nitish Kumar increasingly sidelined.
Public anger over the Election Commission’s controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which deleted 6.5 lakh names, looms large in the state. Many residents told this reporter that Rahul is drawing far more spontaneous support than Modi.
“Spontaneous crowds flock to see Rahul, while Modi’s rallies rely heavily on government officials and party cadres busing in ASHA workers, teachers, and low-level employees. The spontaneity that once defined Modi’s events is now absent,” locals observed.
Despite media coverage remaining heavily tilted in favour of Modi, Rahul’s march has generated significant grassroots enthusiasm. “But the ground reality tells a different story. People love Rahul Gandhi and fear Narendra Modi – it’s that simple,” said B.K. Tiwary, an advocate at Siwan court.
On Friday, Rahul has used the yatra to sharpen his attack on the government over alleged vote rigging. In Bhagalpur, he accused Modi of remaining silent on what he called large-scale electoral fraud.
“The SIR is an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and the EC to steal your votes. They are trying their best to snatch your voting rights. The ‘vote chor’ came to Gayaji, but he did not say even a word on his government's attempt to steal votes with the help of the EC,” Rahul said.
“The truth is that the Prime Minister, along with the Election Commission of India and the Bharatiya Janata Party, are bent on destroying democracy and the Constitution, and snatching away the votes of the people.”
He accused Modi of undermining the constitutional principle of “one person, one vote,” citing instances of voters being wrongly disenfranchised under SIR.
“Vote Chori is an attack on the Constitution of India. The INDIA bloc will not allow the BJP to steal voting rights of the people of Bihar,” he declared.
At the same time, Modi in a Bihar rally raised concerns over “infiltrators,” linking them to electoral rolls.
“There is one more threat -- that of infiltrators (ghuspaithiye) that our nation faces, which I also spoke about in my Independence Day speech. They cannot be allowed to partake of the resources of our country. I have, therefore, called for a demography mission. But the Congress and the RJD want to protect these infiltrators for the sake of their vote bank politics,” he said, alluding to SIR’s objective of identifying “illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar.
The Election Commission has defended the revision as a nationwide exercise to be conducted in stages, but opposition parties allege that its immediate purpose in Bihar is to tilt the electoral field in favour of the BJP-led NDA.
Rahul has also taken aim at the government’s economic and employment policies. At a stopover in Bhagalpur, he introduced former Agniveer Amarnath Jaiswal, who lost a finger while serving but was discharged without compensation or benefits. He called the Agnipath scheme “ill-advised” and accused the government of betraying youth and ex-servicemen. He further alleged that demonetisation and flawed policies had crippled small businesses, deepening unemployment.
His march through Bhagalpur saw large crowds chanting “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhor,” echoing his charge of electoral fraud in states including Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka during the 2024 general elections.
A video shared from the visit showed him stepping into a pond with the farmers and engaging in conversation. Bihar accounts for nearly 90 percent of India’s makhana production, a sector that sustains thousands of farming families.
Later, sharing photographs on X, Rahul wrote, “Bihar produces 90 percent of the world's makhana, but the farmers and labourers who toil day and night under the sun and also in rain do not even earn one percent of the profits. Today, I met these farmers in their fields and learned about their struggles. In big cities, it sells for Rs 1000-2000 rupees per Kg, but these hardworking people, the foundation of the entire industry, receive only a nominal price.”
He went on to say, “Who are these farmers and labourers? Extremely backwards, and Dalit-Bahujan. All the hard work is done by these 99 percent Bahujans, while the profit goes to just one percent of middlemen. The vote-stealing government neither values nor cares for them - neither providing income nor justice. The right to vote and the right to the fruits of their skill are two sides of the same coin - and we will not let either be taken away.”
बिहार दुनिया का 90% मखाना उगाता है, मगर दिन-रात धूप-पानी में मेहनत करने वाले किसान-मज़दूर मुनाफे का 1% भी नहीं कमाते हैं।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 23, 2025
आज, इन किसानों से उनके खेतों में मिलकर उनकी आपबीती जानी।
बड़े शहरों में 1000-2000 रुपए किलो बिकता है, मगर इन मेहनतकशों, पूरे उद्योग की नींव को, नाम मात्र का… pic.twitter.com/TeTKv5usdh
The plight of makhana cultivators has been under increasing focus in recent months. In her Union Budget speech earlier this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the creation of a Makhana Board in Bihar to improve production, marketing, and value addition.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a rally in Bhagalpur in February, had personally endorsed the crop, revealing that he eats makhanas “at least 300 out of 365 days.”
Rahul’s yatra is drawing participation from a wide range of opposition leaders. Over the coming week, several prominent figures from the INDIA bloc — including Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav — are scheduled to join him at different points.
Bihar heads into assembly elections later this year, and the campaign is taking shape as a direct face-off between Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Modi, with chief minister Nitish Kumar increasingly sidelined.
Public anger over the Election Commission’s controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which deleted 6.5 lakh names, looms large in the state. Many residents told this reporter that Rahul is drawing far more spontaneous support than Modi.
“Spontaneous crowds flock to see Rahul, while Modi’s rallies rely heavily on government officials and party cadres busing in ASHA workers, teachers, and low-level employees. The spontaneity that once defined Modi’s events is now absent,” locals observed.
Despite media coverage remaining heavily tilted in favour of Modi, Rahul’s march has generated significant grassroots enthusiasm. “But the ground reality tells a different story. People love Rahul Gandhi and fear Narendra Modi – it’s that simple,” said B.K. Tiwary, an advocate at Siwan court.
On Friday, Rahul has used the yatra to sharpen his attack on the government over alleged vote rigging. In Bhagalpur, he accused Modi of remaining silent on what he called large-scale electoral fraud.
“The SIR is an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and the EC to steal your votes. They are trying their best to snatch your voting rights. The ‘vote chor’ came to Gayaji, but he did not say even a word on his government's attempt to steal votes with the help of the EC,” Rahul said.
“The truth is that the Prime Minister, along with the Election Commission of India and the Bharatiya Janata Party, are bent on destroying democracy and the Constitution, and snatching away the votes of the people.”
He accused Modi of undermining the constitutional principle of “one person, one vote,” citing instances of voters being wrongly disenfranchised under SIR.
“Vote Chori is an attack on the Constitution of India. The INDIA bloc will not allow the BJP to steal voting rights of the people of Bihar,” he declared.
At the same time, Modi in a Bihar rally raised concerns over “infiltrators,” linking them to electoral rolls.
“There is one more threat -- that of infiltrators (ghuspaithiye) that our nation faces, which I also spoke about in my Independence Day speech. They cannot be allowed to partake of the resources of our country. I have, therefore, called for a demography mission. But the Congress and the RJD want to protect these infiltrators for the sake of their vote bank politics,” he said, alluding to SIR’s objective of identifying “illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar.
The Election Commission has defended the revision as a nationwide exercise to be conducted in stages, but opposition parties allege that its immediate purpose in Bihar is to tilt the electoral field in favour of the BJP-led NDA.
Rahul has also taken aim at the government’s economic and employment policies. At a stopover in Bhagalpur, he introduced former Agniveer Amarnath Jaiswal, who lost a finger while serving but was discharged without compensation or benefits. He called the Agnipath scheme “ill-advised” and accused the government of betraying youth and ex-servicemen. He further alleged that demonetisation and flawed policies had crippled small businesses, deepening unemployment.
His march through Bhagalpur saw large crowds chanting “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhor,” echoing his charge of electoral fraud in states including Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka during the 2024 general elections.
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