On Sunday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised concerns about the government’s failure to provide adequate hostel facilities for female students. He contrasted this issue with the elaborate celebrations, including diya-lighting events, that marked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday. Gandhi’s remarks highlight a growing frustration over the government’s priorities in addressing pressing educational needs.
This question was asked of me yesterday by a female student in Indore,” the Lok Sabha Opposition leader wrote on X. “’The government has money to light diyas, why not for our hostels? It doesn’t increase with inflation, and on top of that, it falls prey to corruption.
Because there was no hostel available, gandhi said the student moved from a village to Indore for her studies but had to live in a paying guest accommodation. Because they did not have a place to stay, he said many girls discontinued their education.
Rahul Gandhi also questioned the housing allowance, as he said, “What about the housing allowance? “Many girls drop out of their studies for this very reason – because there’s no place to live,” he said. “Do you have any answer to that little girl’s question,” he asked and tagged PM Narendra Modi . Sharing a video on X showing Bihar chief minister Samrat Singh visiting a site where hundreds of diyas had been lit for Modi’s birthday, Yadav wrote, “Chief Ministers trying to hide the floods behind the cover of diyas by lighting 100 crore worth of lamps on the banks of the Ganga on the birthday of the PM who pays no heed to the floods in Bihar.”
“There’s no hostel, so she has to stay in a PG. Just to stay safe, lakhs are spent. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav has pushed back against Gandhi’s allegations, saying the Congress leader should present facts and data when speaking about education and children.
The worry of monthly rent, and the fear of becoming homeless – she has to study amidst all this,” he said.
