The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body, which met on Wednesday, 19 August, decided to expand its ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign to 800 cities, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi expected to lead some of the gatherings.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal, said the campaign would see a series of public meetings across the country, and would step up its agitation over paper leaks and the government’s response to student protests.
Earlier, in his opening remarks at the CWC, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Modi-led government at the Centre of “destroying” the future of students. The time has come for the Congress to formulate a comprehensive ‘Education-to-Employment Roadmap’ for the youth, he declared.
Addressing the meeting at Indira Bhawan, Kharge said, “Over the last 12 years, the Modi government has devastated the future of the youth. Instead of new schools opening, 94,000 schools have closed in recent years. Driven by the race for privatisation, higher education is becoming increasingly expensive and out of reach for ordinary families.”
“Even after completing their education, when young people set out in search of jobs, they are confronted with paper leaks, recruitment exam scams, and delays in appointments. Children from poor and marginalised backgrounds suffer the most,” he said.
“The anger that has arisen among the youth across the country is not a sudden or one-day phenomenon. This government has never had the time to listen to them; instead, it has consistently sought temporary measures to sidestep the issues. Consequently, they have been forced to take to the streets,” Kharge said.
Rahul Gandhi has brought their voices to the national stage through the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme, he said.
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