Tushar Gandhi. File
| Photo Credit: R.K. Nithin
Bihar Congress on Monday (July 14, 2025) strongly condemned the incident of alleged insult of Tushar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi by several people including the Mukhiya of Turkauliya village in East Champaran district.
Mr. Gandhi, who launched the “Badlo Bihar Nai Sarkar” (Change Bihar, New Government) from the Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram in West Champaran on Saturday (July 12, 2025), had reached Turkaulia in East Champaran as part of his journey on July 13.
Mukhiya (village head) Vinay Kumar Sah and his supporters allegedly insulted Mr. Gandhi and asked to leave the event. While speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Gandhi said that he had to face personal attack as well.
In the village he reached at the historic Neem tree, a place from where Mahatma Gandhi had once listened to the woes of farmers forced to cultivate indigo. Mr. Gandhi garlanded the spot and recalled the horrors of the past when British landlords used to tie farmers to the tree and beat them. Mahatma had visited this place twice.
After garlanding the place, Mr. Gandhi was invited by the Mukhiya to speak in office hall of Gram Panchayat where the argument started when one of his associates raised questions on the Nitish Kumar government and spoke in favour of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress.
Mr. Gandhi was accompanied by farmer leader Dr. Sunilam, socialist thinker Vijay Pratap Singh, Rashtriya Seva Dal activist Allauddin Sheikh, activist Feroze Mithiborwala, Jharkhand’s Praveer Peter, Gujarat’s Mujahid Nafees and many other national and state leaders.
According to a villager, as soon as Mr. Gandhi and his associates started speaking on the frenzy spread in the country, social divisions and political failures of Bihar, the Mukhiya asked him to vacate the stage in a humiliating manner.
Asked about the incident, Mr. Gandhi said, “We had a plan to make awareness among the people in favour of Mahagathbandhan and this Mukhiya insisted me to speak over there. When our colleague Vijay Pratap Singh finished his speech, the Mukhiya raised an objection asking why we are doing this. He started shouting at us and then I requested not to shout.”
He further said, “I told him to calm down and speak politely but he kept on shouting. Then he said that I do not look like the descendants of Mahatma Gandhi and continue shouting. I asked him not to make any personal comments and if there are some issues, it could be resolved through intellectual talks. However, all my attempts turned futile and he warned us that I cannot do any campaign in his office. Then I have no other option to leave the place.”
He also said that villagers also opposed the behaviour of Mukhiya and he addressed the people outside the Panchayat office.
“When the Mukhiya could not intellectually match, he showed his anger and absurd behaviour which was not acceptable,” Mr. Gandhi asserted.
Bihar Congress State in-charge Krishna Allavaru, state president Rajesh Kumar, leader of the Congress legislative party Dr. Shakeel Ahmed Khan, and leader of the party in the Congress Legislative Council Dr. Madan Mohan Jha jointly attacked the state government.
“The incident is the murder murder of Gandhi’s ideas. It is not just an insult to a person, but to an idea that was based on truth, non-violence and respect for dissent,” Mr. Allavaru said.
Mr. Khan added that Nitish and Narendra Modi ji have thrown Gandhi’s ideas and principles into the dustbin and have just borrowed his glasses for publicity.
Published – July 15, 2025 08:41 am IST
