His trousers rolled up, Rahul Gandhi stepped into a waterlogged field, picking makhana (fox nuts) and listening intently to a group of farmers as they explained the traditional, and often hazardous, process of cultivating it and spoke of their hopes and concerns.
With this optics-laden move, the Leader of Opposition (LoP), who is travelling through the hinterlands of Bihar during the “Voter Adhikar Yatra” and stopped by at the makhana field in the Korha Assembly constituency of Katihar district on Saturday, tried to push the Opposition onto a poll plank that the BJP-led NDA government in the state has tied to make its own since the start of the year.
Later, he took to X to share photos of his visit and wrote, “Bihar grows 90% of the world’s makhana, but the farmers and labourers who toil in the sun and rain don’t even earn 1% of the profits. In big cities, it sells for Rs 1,000–2,000 per kg, but these hardworking people — the very foundation of the industry — get barely anything. Who are these farmers and labourers? They are mostly Dalits and extremely backward communities. All the hard work is done by these 99% Bahujans, while the benefit goes to only 1% of middlemen. The vote-stealing government neither values nor cares for them — neither provides them income nor delivers justice. The right to vote and the right to one’s skill are two sides of the same coin – and we will not let either be taken away.”
Bihar is the largest producer of makhana in the country, accounting for an estimated 90% of production. The farming and harvesting of makhana is almost entirely done by Mallahs, members of a riverine caste who are also among the most impoverished communities. Most makhana cultivation is concentrated in the riverine belts of Mithilanchal in North Bihar.
आपका ‘सुपरफूड’ मखाना – सोचा है कहां से आता है? कौन, कैसे बनाता है?
बिहार के किसानों के खून-पसीने का उत्पाद है मखाना- बिक्री हजारों में, मगर आमदनी कौड़ियों में – पूरा मुनाफा सिर्फ़ बिचौलियों का।
हमारी लड़ाई इसी अन्याय के खिलाफ है – मेहनत और हुनर का हक़ मज़दूर को ही मिलना चाहिए। pic.twitter.com/va81K45XDk
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 25, 2025
The Mallah community that commands significant political influence in this region, especially on other lower castes that rally behind them, has traditionally allied with Bihar’s social justice parties since the JP Movement, but remains a group that other parties across the spectrum frequently court. As he made the trip into the drenched fields in Korha, among the leaders by his side was Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) founder Mukesh Sahani, who calls himself the “son of Mallah”.
The VIP, now with the Mahagathbandhan, was with the NDA in 2020 — it won three of the 11 seats contested — but with the regional outfit’s MLAs defecting to the BJP, the relations between Sahani and the ruling party soured, and he subsequently moved towards the Opposition. According to sources in the Mahagathbandhan alliance, Sahani has demanded up to 60 seats and is positioning himself as a Deputy CM candidate. This has sparked speculation that if these demands are unmet, he may again shift allegiance.
The political calculation for everyone is fairly straightforward: the Mithilanchal region comprises several districts, including Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Saharsa, Darbhanga, Madhepura, Katihar, Supaul, Araria, Begusarai, Samastipur, Purnia, and Muzaffarpur, and accounts for over 100 of Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats. And most of these seats are currently with the BJP-led NDA. This prompted the BJP, without Sahani by its side, to announce a Makhana Board during the last Union Budget, promising comprehensive support for makhana farmers, covering training, handholding, and active facilitation of government scheme benefits.
This is precisely what the Opposition is trying to counter and why the LoP being seen interacting with farmers and giving them a patient hearing is important. While reports suggest that initial funds for the Makhana Board have been allocated and high-level meetings are being held — Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited Makhana Research Centre in Darbhanga weeks after the Budget — little has been communicated to the farmers, and a perceived delay has caused concerns. This is an opening the Congress is looking to utilise in its efforts to position itself as an advocate for the marginalised agrarian communities in the region, party insiders said.
“Despite the announcement, the Makhana Board has not yet been established. As a result, makhana farmers are still not receiving adequate returns for their labour. The Modi government only makes announcements, but does not implement them. If the Mahagathbandhan government comes to power in Bihar, it will resolve all the difficulties of makhana farmers by not just establishing the Board but also finding holistic solutions to their problems,” said Congress spokesperson Gyan Ranjan Gupta.
Gupta said, unlike BJP leaders, Gandhi sat down with the farmers who explained to him the entire cycle of cultivating makhana and the precarious conditions they endure. The farmers, the Congress leader said, reiterated their long-standing demands, including government intervention in pricing, procurement, and processing. Sahani also promised them that the Mahagathbandhan would ensure better remuneration if voted to power.