Congress Defies UP Govt, Rahul's Event to Go Ahead

 Congress to go ahead with Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ event in Prayagraj despite BJP govt’s bid to stop it

Party accuses UP govt of trying to block Prayagraj programme

Government can’t silence students, asserts Rahul  

NEW DELHI, Aug 6, 2026: The Congress on Thursday asserted that its ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Students’ Echo) programme, led by the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, will be held at the designated venue in Prayagraj despite attempts by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to prevent the event.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC office here today, Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam, along with Lok Sabha MPs Kishori Lal Sharma, Imran Masood and Tanuj Punia, said that the BJP government in the state was “rattled” by the programme and was making every possible effort to get it cancelled.

The Congress leaders said the Prayagraj event follows successful editions of the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign in Kota and Dehradun. They said that the Uttar Pradesh government and the Prayagraj administration were exerting pressure and intimidating those associated with the venue to have the permissions cancelled, in an attempt to derail the programme.

They maintained that holding a peaceful public meeting or dialogue within the framework of the law is a constitutional right in a democracy. The party, they said, was obtaining all required permissions and complying with legal procedures, yet the state government was trying to obstruct the programme through “unconstitutional means”.

The Congress leaders said that following Rahul Gandhi's call, the 'voice of students' had begun to resonate across the country, and the BJP government had become rattled by it. They added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah feared that the country’s youth would rally behind Rahul Gandhi, and noted that the attempts to stop the event reflected the BJP’s anxiety over growing student support for the Congress leader.

Appealing to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Prayagraj administration, the party urged them not to undermine democratic values and to allow the programme to be held peacefully.

The Congress leaders also said that lakhs of students from across the country had registered for the campaign and that young people were eagerly awaiting the Prayagraj event. They emphasised that the entire Congress party stood firmly with students and would continue to protect their rights and amplify their voice.

Separately, Rahul Gandhi, in a social media post, said that students of Allahabad University were fighting for their future against fee hikes and seat reductions but were facing police action instead of being heard.

Maintaining that Modi government’s policy was to suppress the voices of young people, Gandhi said students were met with baton charges for asking questions, criminal cases for protesting, and pellet guns for raising their voices.

“When I decided to visit Prayagraj to listen to students, the administration has been trying in every possible way to stop my programme. They are even afraid of the voice of students,” Gandhi said.

He asserted that he stood firmly with the students and said that no matter how hard the government tried, it would not be able to stop him from raising their concerns.