Govt has money for diyas, not hostels: Rahul Gandhi on PM's birthday celebration
At the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in Indore, Rahul Gandhi cited a female student's plea for safer, affordable hostel facilities. The exchange sharpened his attack on the government's education record and the pressures pushing girls out of studies.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday raised the issue of the lack of hostels for female students and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond to the hardships they face. He cited an interaction with a student at his 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in Indore a day earlier to press the point.
Gandhi linked the hostel issue to wider concerns around education, saying many girls are forced to study under financial strain and insecurity. He also repeated his criticism of what he called a 'system' that does not want students to ask questions.
Recalling the exchange in Indore, Gandhi said, "'The government has money to light diyas - why not for our hostels?' This question was asked of me yesterday by a female student in Indore. She came to the city from a village to study." He added, "There's no hostel, so she has to stay in a PG. Just to stay safe, lakhs are spent. The worry of monthly rent, and the fear of becoming homeless - she has to study amidst all this."
He said many girls drop out of their studies for this very reason, because they do not have a place to live. Gandhi also questioned the housing allowance, saying it does not rise with inflation and is hit by corruption.
"And what about the housing allowance? It doesn't increase with inflation, and on top of that, it falls prey to corruption. Narendra Modi ji - Do you have any answer to that little girl's question?" he said.
Tagging Gandhi's post, Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "PR events. Designer clothes. Luxury cars. Aircraft. Skincare. Modi has money for everything except the education of India's youth." He added, "No adequate infrastructure. No quality teachers. No training. No hostels. No jobs. At this point, the authenticity of his degree is almost irrelevant. His contempt for education explains how 'educated' he is."
At the fifth edition of Gandhi's youth outreach programme 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' in Indore on Saturday, he spoke on the theme 'system versus students' and interacted with Gen Z and other young participants on education, recruitment and employment issues.
Gandhi alleged that a rotten system, especially in education, had captured the country and did not want students to ask questions, instead wanting 'andhbhakts' to spread its narrative and hatred.
"The system is afraid of students because students ask questions. The system does not want students; it wants 'andhbhakts'," Gandhi said in Indore. He said students were curious, questioned authority and sought answers about the functioning of institutions, recruitment, examinations and opportunities, while 'andhbhakts' lacked these qualities and instead spread hatred.
Gandhi also alleged that this "system" had several layers and named Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, claiming they controlled different parts of the country's political, institutional and economic life. He said students posed a challenge to this system because they remained curious and questioned what was happening around them.
The Congress leader's latest remarks brought together two strands of his criticism on education and youth issues: the immediate problem of safe and affordable housing for female students, and his broader charge that questioning students are being failed by the present system.