Rahul Gandhi flags lack of hostels for female students, seeks answers from PM Modi

Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi speaks during the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme, in Indore on September 20, 2026 | Photo Credit: ANI Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (September 20, 2026) flagged the issue of lack of hostels for female students and sought answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the problem being faced by them.Mr. Gandhi cited the remarks by a female student during his 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in Indore on Saturday (September 19) to corner the government."'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," Gandhi said recalling the interaction."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," Mr. Gandhi said in his post in Hindi."सरकार के पास दिया जलाने के लिए पैसा है - हमारे हॉस्टल के लिए क्यों नहीं?"यह सवाल कल इंदौर में एक छात्रा ने मुझसे पूछा।गाँव से पढ़ने शहर आई। हॉस्टल है नहीं, तो PG में रहना पड़ता है। सिर्फ़ सुरक्षित रहने में लाखों ख़र्च हो जाते हैं। हर महीने किराए की चिंता, और बेघर होने का डर…— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 20, 2026“Many girls drop out of their studies for this very reason - because there's no place to live,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said."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?" Mr. Gandhi said.Tagging Mr. 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.""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," he said.Mr. Gandhi on Saturday (September 19) had alleged that a rotten "system", especially in education, had captured the country and did not want students to ask questions, instead wanting "andhbhakts" -- a term commonly used by critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his supporters -- to spread its narrative and hatred.The remarks came at the fifth edition of Gandhi's youth outreach programme 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' in Indore, a BJP stronghold, where he spoke on the theme 'system versus students' and interacted with Gen Z and other young participants on education, recruitment and employment issues."The system is afraid of students because students ask questions. The system does not want students; it wants 'andhbhakts'," Mr. Gandhi had 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.Mr. Gandhi alleged that the "system" had several layers and targeted Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, alleging that they exercised control over different aspects of the country's political, institutional and economic life.“Students posed a challenge to this system because they remained curious and questioned what was happening around them,” Mr. Gandhi had said. Published - September 20, 2026 03:04 pm IST