PM Modi used student interaction as political campaign: Kharge

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Prime Minister of using labels for the Opposition to divert attention from the government’s failures. File. | Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday (September 6, 2026) accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of turning his interaction with students at Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) into a “political campaign” instead of engaging with questions on the youth, education and their future.In a post on X, Mr. Kharge said the Prime Minister’s visit to SRCC was an opportunity for a dialogue with the country’s youth but alleged that Mr. Modi chose to avoid their questions.He accused the Prime Minister of using labels for the Opposition to divert attention from the government’s failures. Referring to terms such as “Naraaz Phupha” (Angry Uncle), “Dimagi Naxal”, “Urban Naxal,” “Khan Market Gang”, “Andolanjeevi” and “Parjeeevi”, Mr. Kharge said the “adjectives keep changing”, but the government’s “anti-people policies do not change”.“Outreach is only needed when you become out of reach,” Mr. Kharge said.Taking a swipe at Mr. Modi’s presentation of the government’s “report card”, the Congress president said the country’s youth had its own report card of “unemployment, delays in government recruitment, paper leaks, rising education costs, shrinking scholarship opportunities, and growing pressure on the autonomy of universities”.Mr. Kharge also invoked the Congress’s Chhatron Ki Goonj campaign, urging Mr Modi to listen to the programme and find some solutions instead of “beating around the bush”.His remarks came a day after Mr. Modi’s interaction at SRCC, where the Prime Minister addressed students on issues concerning India’s economic growth, education and opportunities for young people. Published - September 06, 2026 09:28 pm IST