Kharge expresses confidence of Congress victory in Uttarakhand

Promises jobs for Agniveers, restoration of OPS

Attacks BJP over unemployment, paper leaks, student crackdown

HALDWANI (UTTRAKHAND), August 8, 2026: Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday asserted that the Congress would form the government in Uttarakhand in the upcoming Assembly elections and promised that vacant government posts would be used to accommodate Agniveers, besides restoring the Old Pension Scheme in the state.

Addressing a large public meeting here today, Kharge launched a broad attack on the BJP government over the police crackdown on protesting students in Delhi, flagged irregularities involving temple donations, unemployment, recruitment examinations and paper leaks in Uttarakhand.

Kharge noted that the country’s education and employment systems had been “completely destroyed” and said that young people were obtaining degrees without acquiring the skills required for employment.

He cited the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to substantiate that the government had failed to meet its vocational education targets. He said the NEP had envisaged bringing 50 per cent of students under vocational education by 2025, but pointed out that only around two per cent of the target had been achieved on the ground.

India produces around 50 lakh graduates every year, while only about 28 lakh graduate-level jobs are created annually, he said, adding, “This means the dreams of 22 lakh young people are shattered every year before they even get started.”

He alleged that the government’s economic policies were focused on benefiting a select group of large industrial houses rather than generating employment through productive investment.

Kharge observed that paper leaks had now become an “organised industry” and accused the BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttarakhand of failing to stop recruitment irregularities.

Referring to several recruitment scams in Uttarakhand, including those involving the Subordinate Service Selection Commission, he said that government jobs were being “sold openly” and recruitment mafia was flourishing. He added that young people were unable to secure government employment unless they had money or strong political connections.

Kharge also attacked the Centre over the police action against students protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. He alleged that students were subjected to a brutal crackdown on the directions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, including the use of pellet guns, nails and electric shock-equipped batons.

Kharge said the Opposition had been raising the issue in Parliament for the past 15 days and demanding answers from the government. “But neither the Prime Minister nor the Home Minister is answering,” he noted, while asking whether this was democracy and whether it was not the government’s responsibility to answer questions raised by citizens and the Opposition in Parliament. He said, the government was avoiding accountability in Parliament because it had something to hide.

Kharge strongly criticised the Agnipath recruitment scheme, describing it as detrimental to the future of India’s youth. He said the scheme required young people recruited as Agniveers to leave the armed forces after four years, leaving them with an uncertain future.

He promised that if Congress comes to power in Uttarakhand, Agniveers would be accommodated against vacant posts in government departments.

He also announced that the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) would be restored in Uttarakhand, on the lines of Himachal Pradesh, if the Congress forms the government.

Kharge also raised the issue of theft of temple donations, and accused the BJP and RSS of using religion for political and financial gain. He remarked that “loot” was taking place in the name of religion at various prominent shrines, including Kedarnath, Badrinath and the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Taking a dig at the BJP’s “double-engine government” slogan, Kharge said the “double engine” itself had failed, while the government’s E20 fuel policy was now causing problems for people’s vehicle engines.

Kharge also attacked the BJP and RSS for positioning themselves as the sole arbiters of patriotism. He said those who had made no contribution to India’s Independence were now attempting to lecture others on patriotism.

“The real patriots are Congress workers,” the Congress president said, asserting that the Congress had consistently worked in the national interest and defended democracy and the Constitution.

Kharge also praised Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his outreach to people across the country. He said Rahul Gandhi had walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to defend the Constitution and was constantly engaging with young people, farmers, the poor and students to understand their concerns.

Towards the end of his address, quoting lines from a poem by Dushyant Kumar, he said the lotus, the BJP’s electoral symbol, had begun to wither and called upon the people of Uttarakhand to form a Congress government to usher in progress. 

Watch: 

Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge addresses the public in Haldwani, Uttarakhand