A moment of visible awkwardness unfolded during the Mahagathbandhan’s high-profile Bihar Bandh protest on Thursday when Independent MP Pappu Yadav and Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar were stopped from climbing the protest stage, which featured senior alliance leaders Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav.
The stage, mounted on a vehicle near Patna’s Income Tax Golambar, served as the focal point of the demonstration against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. While several Mahagathbandhan leaders were allowed on board, Kanhaiya Kumar and Pappu Yadav were denied access by security personnel—a moment caught on camera and widely circulated online.
According to reports, both leaders attempted to approach the stage amid a swelling crowd, but were pushed back, leading to a brief commotion. Kanhaiya Kumar, who momentarily managed to climb up, was reportedly asked to step down. The episode ended with both leaders walking away from the site.
Kanhaiya Kumar, brought into Congress to energize youth support in Bihar, had recently launched the “Give Jobs, Stop Migration” campaign. The initiative reportedly created discomfort within the alliance, particularly among sections of the RJD, which is led by Tejashwi Yadav.
महागठबंधन का बिहार बंद: पप्पू यादव और कन्हैया कुमार की भारी फजीहत, राहुल गांधी ने मंच पर चढ़ने नहीं दिया.#PappuYadav #KanhaiyaKumar #RahulGandhi #StageControversy #PoliticalSnub #BiharPolitics #Mahagathbandhan #CongressNews #BreakingNews #PublicEmbarrassment pic.twitter.com/c0GVuY6h7T
— FirstBiharJharkhand (@firstbiharnews) July 9, 2025
Pappu Yadav, an independent MP from Purnia, has maintained that he is a “true soldier of Rahul Gandhi,” despite no longer being part of the Congress. His attempt to contest the Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket was blocked by Tejashwi Yadav, who instead fielded Bima Bharti from RJD. Yadav went on to defeat Bharti as an independent, further straining his long-standing ties with the Lalu Yadav family.
