Congress Leaders Press for Swift Relief as Bihar Floods Affect Nearly 50 Lakh

Congress leaders on Tuesday pressed the government and administration to speed up relief and rescue work in flood-ravaged Bihar, where nearly 50 lakh people across 15 districts have been affected.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described the loss of lives as extremely heartbreaking and offered his deepest condolences to the bereaved families. In a post in Hindi on X, he said daily life had been disrupted in thousands of villages and that ensuring relief and assistance reached every affected family should be the government's priority in this hour of crisis.

Mr. Kharge said the government and administration must spare no effort in relief, rescue, medical assistance and rehabilitation, and ensure aid reaches affected families without delay. He appealed to Congress workers to step forward in the affected areas and extend every possible help, adding that the entire country stands with Bihar in this difficult time.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also expressed grief over the deaths and extended his sympathies to those affected. He appealed to party workers to provide all possible assistance to the affected people, while saying he expected the government and administration to carry out relief and rescue operations with full promptness and ensure essential aid reaches families as soon as possible.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the news of the devastation was extremely heartbreaking, noting that lakhs of people in the state have been affected and that there had been a significant loss of lives and property. She offered condolences to the affected families and appealed to the government to expedite relief and rescue operations so that help reaches people quickly. She too urged Congress workers to assist those affected to the best of their ability, saying the entire nation stands firmly with the victims.

Officials said on Monday that nearly 50 lakh people in 15 districts have been affected by the floods, as heavy rain over the past few days further swelled rivers already flowing above their danger marks. According to the Disaster Management Department, 49.67 lakh people in 15 districts are affected.

The affected districts are Patna, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Buxar, Samastipur, Munger, Katihar, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Purnea, Madhepura and Araria.

The state has recorded 112.7 mm of rain so far in September, around 6% above normal, the local weather office said. An official said incessant rain in the catchment areas of rivers flowing from Nepal into Bihar, coupled with heavy rainfall, has caused several rivers and streams to flow above their danger marks.