The Congress Working Committee (CWC), after a marathon four-hour assembly on Wednesday (August 19, 2026), introduced that it might maintain pupil interactions underneath the ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ (Echoes of the College students) programme in round 800 cities and cities within the coming days, lots of which might be addressed by Chief of the Opposition within the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
Mr. Gandhi requested the Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled States to arrange a report on reforms wanted of their schooling programs and submit it to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge inside a month.
TheHindu has learnt that Mr. Gandhi, within the closed-door interplay, chided his colleagues for not assembly sufficient college students or going to Jantar Mantar to specific solidarity throughout the NEET paper leak protests. “I’ve met extra college students than any of you,” he’s learnt to have mentioned. He mentioned a straw ballot carried out by the Congress’s pupil and youth wings confirmed {that a} majority of scholars backed the Congress and its management for change.
Mr. Gandhi made it clear that he would stand with the scholars, “come what could”.
Mr. Kharge, in his opening remarks, accused the Narendra Modi authorities of “destroying” the way forward for college students and known as for a complete “Training-to-Employment Roadmap” for the youth.
The infighting within the Punjab Congress, although, left an imprint, with former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, a CWC member, skipping the assembly.
Points recognized
The CWC determined to launch a nationwide marketing campaign over the alleged theft of donations — which the Opposition calls “chanda chori” — on the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, whereas reiterating its demand for a Supreme Courtroom-supervised probe and an audit of the temple belief’s accounts.
It asserted that the Lok Sabha’s power ought to stay frozen at 543 seats, with the prevailing State-wise allocation retained for 25 years, and that one-third girls’s reservation ought to be applied from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
It reaffirmed that Congress features would function solely the primary two stanzas of Vande Mataram, in keeping with the 1937 AICC decision. It demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the “purification ritual” on the Haldwani floor the place Mr. Kharge had addressed a rally.
The decision flagged reviews of Chinese incursions in Arunachal Pradesh and questioned the federal government’s silence, in addition to elevating issues over E20 petrol’s mileage, compatibility and lack of client selection.
The CWC decision mentioned the youth have been going through “disappointment and betrayal” underneath the Modi authorities, citing paper leaks, unemployment and alleged repression of pupil actions. “Over the previous decade, paper leaks have assumed epidemic proportions, with a minimum of 152 instances of paper leaks reported since 2014,” the decision mentioned.
The CWC condemned what it known as “arbitrary and brutal repression” of pupil actions, alleging the usage of tear fuel, pellet weapons and electrical shock batons and accusing the Prime Minister and Dwelling Minister of avoiding Parliament on the difficulty.
‘PM Modi on his knees’
Mr. Gandhi mentioned the protests have rattled Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described the federal government’s response as an indication of weak spot. “Prime Minister is on his knees and the individuals who put him there are on the lookout for his alternative,” he’s learnt to have mentioned. He mentioned Mr. Modi’s Independence Day speech regarded prefer it got here “from a person who has been psychologically defeated”.
Mr. Kharge, with out naming anybody, expressed concern over three or 4 celebration leaders who incessantly appeared on tv however didn’t at all times mirror the celebration line. He additionally referred to the controversy over a “purification ritual” in Haldwani.
Social media monitoring
Mr. Gandhi subsequently requested the Congress’s social media head Supriya Shrinate to ship him common reviews on which celebration leaders have been amplifying the Congress president’s messages.
The Vande Mataram challenge was mentioned intimately, with senior leaders Anand Sharma, Tariq Anwar, and Digvijaya Singh arguing that the Congress ought to adhere to the 1937 AICC decision on the music.
Mr. Kharge learn out an order of President Rajendra Prasad to bolster the celebration’s place, reiterating that the primary two stanzas have been adopted for singing at its features following consultations with Rabindranath Tagore.
Briefing journalists after the assembly together with Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, AICC basic secretary (organisation) Ok.C. Venugopal talked in regards to the choices taken by the celebration’s highest decision-making physique.
“Vande Mataram and the nationwide anthem are emotional points for us. It’s a political challenge for the BJP. That’s the distinction between us and them,” he mentioned.
Printed – August 19, 2026 08:22 pm IST
