Highlights of the opening remarks by the Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge at the Congress Working Committee Meeting at AICC Headquarters, Indira Bhawan, New Delhi on August 19, 2026.

Translated from Hindi version

• We are meeting for the first time since the conclusion of the parliamentary session. We need to deliberate on some highly pressing issues. • Today, the youth are the primary focus of our collective concern. Eighty years have passed since independence, yet in several crucial areas, the situation is deteriorating rather than improving. • India is the youngest nation in the world, and the youth represent our future. However, the government’s flawed policies have pushed our young people into a quagmire of deep despair. • Amidst the race for communal frenzy and the ‘revdi culture’ (culture of freebies), the education and employment of the youth have been the most neglected. • On this occasion, I would particularly like to remember Rajiv Gandhi ji. Tomorrow marks his birth anniversary. While leading a government with a massive majority, he placed the youth at the core of his policies. • With the aim of enabling the youth to play a significant role, Rajiv ji lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years. He also established a network of Navodaya Vidyalayas across every district of the country. • The practice of observing Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary as National Youth Day began during that period. • The National Education Policy, formulated after extensive deliberation, linked degrees with employment and skill development. • Women and weaker sections got a special place in it. Our subsequent governments took these things forward. Under the UPA government, everything gained momentum, from the right to education to the creation and development of institutions. • But when youth is discussed, many of our friends do not hold these things strongly, even though these are our big achievements. • Along with this, there is also a big achievement of the IT and communication revolution which gave strength to 21st century India. • It is due to the Congress Party’s extensive efforts since independence that the country gained access to affordable and accessible education, thereby opening the path to socio-economic development for the poor and marginalized sections of society. • However, over the last 12 years, the Modi government has devastated the future of the youth. Instead of new schools opening, 94,000 schools have shut down in recent years. Driven by a race towards privatization, higher education is becoming increasingly expensive and out of reach for ordinary families. Educational institutions are increasingly falling under the control of RSS-affiliated elements. • Even in this situation, when educated young people set out in search of jobs, they are confronted with paper leaks, recruitment exam scams, and delays in appointments. Children from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds suffer the worst in this scenario. • The anger that has erupted among the youth across the country is not a sudden, one-day phenomenon. This government has never spared the time to listen to them; instead, it has consistently sought temporary measures to sidestep the issues. Consequently, they were compelled to take to the streets. • The Congress has taken up their concerns into their agenda. Rahul Gandhi has brought their voices to the national stage through the “Chhatron ki Goonj” (Voice of Students) program. • We made every effort in Parliament to ensure a comprehensive deliberation on the issues of education and examinations—to discuss the injustices faced by students and to fix accountability. However, Modi-ji and Amit Shah-ji evaded questions throughout the entire Monsoon Session. Now that they have started speaking, they are prioritizing non-issues instead of addressing the questions raised by the youth. • The time has come for the Congress to formulate a clear, comprehensive, and time-bound Education-to-Employment Roadmap for the youth, keeping future preparations in mind. • Friends, another crucial issue linked to the trust of the common people concerns the Ram Mandir. The issue of the massive scam surrounding the Ram Mandir is resonating among the masses. • The Prime Minister had announced the formation of a trust in Parliament for the construction of the Ram Mandir. He must have appointed his own people to the trust after due deliberation. • Ordinary people generously donated funds, gold, and silver, believing that since the Prime Minister had established the trust, operations would be conducted with integrity. However, a massive scam has come to light. People are raising questions, yet Modi ji remains consistently silent. • The nation wants to know the extent of the offerings received—how much gold, silver, and other valuables were contributed? What is the accounting of these assets? This matter will not be resolved merely by sending a few low-level individuals to jail. • The more the BJP government diverts this issue, the deeper the suspicion in the minds of the people will grow. Therefore, Modi ji should apologize to the faithful public regarding this matter and provide an answer. • Friends, serious facts have recently come to light regarding incursions into our territory by China. The government should have addressed this honestly; however, true to form, it has dismissed these reports as incorrect while hiding behind anonymous sources. • It is our clear view that there should be no politics over national security; however, national security must not be overlooked at any level. • The citizens of the country have the right to know the actual reality regarding our national borders. • Following the 2020 Galwan clash, the nation heard the Prime Minister’s statement that “no one has intruded, nor is anyone currently inside.” Even after six years, serious questions regarding the border persist, yet the government is not providing clear information. • The Army is performing its duties admirably. We salute the spirit and zeal of our soldiers. • Our question is addressed to the government. In a democracy, it is our duty to ensure the government’s accountability. • Friends, the future of the youth, the faith of the people, and the nation’s borders—at the heart of all three lies a single question: Is this government worthy of the people’s trust? • In today’s Working Committee meeting, alongside seriously deliberating on these issues, we must also present alternatives, policies, and solutions to the nation. • We trust that you will all give due consideration to these points, especially since elections in five states are immediately ahead of us and preparations for them have already begun.

(Congress President also spoke in English)

Jai Congress! Jai Hind!