New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) The INDIA Bloc’s ‘Bihar Bandh’ protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls took an embarrassing turn when Purnea MP Rajesh Ranjan, popularly known as Pappu Yadav, and Congress youth leader Kanhaiya Kumar were denied access to the vehicle in which the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was travelling and were pushed aside by security personnel.

The incident has triggered criticism from the BJP, Janata Dal (United), and Hindustani Awam Morcha, who labelled the episode as a sign of Congress’ “helplessness” and internal dysfunction within the INDIA Bloc.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh strongly condemned the treatment of the two leaders.

“I think there can be no bigger insult than this in social life. Till now the social belief was that these people are big leaders of Bihar, but Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav have insulted both of them (Kanhaiya and Pappu Yadav),” he said.

JD(U) National Spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan criticised the RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav for what he called political insecurity.

“Tejashwi has an issue with anyone who has built a political career based on personal merit. Pappu Yadav has his own identity, and the country knows Kanhaiya Kumar. But Tejashwi cannot tolerate their presence near Rahul Gandhi. Yesterday’s scene laid bare these rifts. If Congress has any political morality left, it should end its alliance with the RJD,” he said.

Hindustani Awam Morcha President Santosh Kumar Suman also lashed out, saying the incident reflects poorly on the leadership of the Congress.

“It raises the question — what is Rahul Gandhi’s real stature? Here’s a national party leader acting on the instructions of a regional figure. Kanhaiya is known to be close to Rahul, and Pappu Yadav has had many sit-down discussions with him. But both were not only denied space on the chariot but physically stopped. The one controlling the chariot clearly didn’t want them there,” he told IANS, alluding to Tejashwi Yadav.

BJP National Spokesperson R.P. Singh drew a parallel between the situation in Bihar and the internal tensions within the Samajwadi Party-led alliance in Uttar Pradesh.

“In UP, they started by demanding five seats, then two, and ultimately begged to contest under their own symbol — only to be rejected by Akhilesh Yadav. The same humiliation is happening here. Congress leaders are now being kept away from their own stage,” Singh told IANS.

The controversy comes amid growing cracks in the Opposition alliance in Bihar. While Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav shared the spotlight atop the protest vehicle, Pappu Yadav — who merged his Jan Adhikar Party with Congress before the Lok Sabha elections — and Kanhaiya Kumar, were blocked from joining the leadership on the chariot.

Despite waving a Congress flag and trying to climb aboard, Pappu Yadav was physically restrained and shoved away. Kanhaiya Kumar was similarly barred from stepping onto the vehicle. The optics of the incident — captured on multiple cameras and now viral — have raised serious questions about the internal dynamics of the Opposition bloc in Bihar.

Interestingly, political observers note that Pappu Yadav was the first to announce a ‘chakka jam’ protest against the Election Commission’s voter list revision. However, the movement was soon overshadowed by the RJD and Congress, who escalated it into a statewide bandh, pushing Pappu to the sidelines of a protest he originally called for.

Despite merging his party with the Congress, Pappu Yadav was denied a Lok Sabha ticket from Purnea. The RJD instead fielded Bima Bharti, whom Yadav ultimately defeated as an Independent candidate. Throughout the episode, the Congress leadership remained largely silent.

Kanhaiya Kumar, meanwhile, has played a quiet but visible role in the Congress’ youth outreach efforts and is considered close to the top leadership. Yet his exclusion on Wednesday adds to speculation about his current political standing within the party.

The episode has exposed growing fissures within the INDIA Bloc, particularly the apparent friction between RJD and Congress in Bihar. The spectacle of LoP Gandhi — a national leader — appearing to defer to regional partner Tejashwi Yadav, while long-time allies like Pappu and Kanhaiya are sidelined, has raised uncomfortable questions about power dynamics and mutual trust within the Opposition.

–IANS

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