Kharge Accuses Modi Government of Hurting Students’ Future, Calls for Youth Education-to-Employment Roadmap

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on August 19, 2026, accused the Narendra Modi-led government of damaging the prospects of students and said the Congress should prepare a comprehensive “Education-to-Employment Roadmap” for the country’s youth.

Addressing the opening session of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at Indira Bhawan in New Delhi, Kharge said education and employment must remain central to the party’s political and policy agenda. He argued that young people need better opportunities to move from education into stable employment.

Kharge alleged that educational institutions were increasingly being influenced or taken over by people associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). This was a political allegation made by the Congress president and should be understood in the context of the party’s criticism of the government’s approach to education.

He said the Congress should develop a detailed roadmap linking education with employment and focus on issues affecting students and young people. The proposed approach would seek to connect educational opportunities with skills, employment and economic prospects.

Kharge’s remarks came during a CWC meeting attended by senior Congress leaders, including Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal.

During his address, Kharge also raised the issue of alleged irregularities surrounding donations collected for the construction of the Ram temple. He questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response to the allegations and demanded an explanation and apology. These remarks were part of the Congress’s political criticism of the government.

The Congress has increasingly focused on education, employment and opportunities for young people as major political issues. Kharge’s call for an Education-to-Employment Roadmap signals the party’s intention to develop a broader policy framework connecting education with jobs and economic opportunities.

The CWC meeting also provided the Congress leadership an opportunity to discuss political and organisational issues as well as the party’s approach to major national concerns.

Kharge’s comments underline the Congress’s effort to place youth, education and employment at the centre of its political messaging. The proposed roadmap could form part of the party’s wider policy agenda as it seeks to present its approach to education and employment.