Varanasi: Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Rai on Tuesday said the “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign, led across the country by party MP Rahul Gandhi, has emerged as a strong national movement for the rights of students and youth.Addressing reporters, Rai said the campaign began in Kota, Rajasthan, where concerns of students preparing for competitive examinations, including paper leaks, unemployment and flaws in the education system, were prominently raised. It later reached Dehradun in Uttarakhand, where, he said, it received unprecedented support from students and young people.Rai said the next major phase of the campaign will be held on August 8 at KP Ground in Prayagraj. He described the event as a historic student-youth conference in Uttar Pradesh, where students, competitive examination aspirants, research scholars, unemployed youth and young people from across the state will participate and directly present their problems, struggles, suggestions and questions about the future before Rahul Gandhi.He said the Prayagraj programme would not merely be a public meeting but a major democratic platform for the fight for youth rights, dignity, education and employment.Rai said students and youth in UP and across the country are facing serious challenges due to paper leaks, irregularities in recruitment examinations, delays in appointments to vacant posts, rising unemployment and the poor condition of the education system.“Lakhs of students work hard for years, but repeated cancellation of examinations and paper leak incidents put their future in danger. Rahul Gandhi has been raising the voice of students and youth from Parliament to the streets, and the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign is an extension of that struggle,” Rai said.He said the Congress firmly believes that students and youth are the future of the country. “If young people do not get quality education, a transparent recruitment system and dignified employment, the future of the country cannot be secure,” he said.Rai appealed to Congress workers, the Youth Congress, NSUI, student organisations and young people across the state to reach Prayagraj in large numbers and participate in the programme. He expressed confidence that the August 8 event at KP Ground would give a new direction to the student-youth movement in Uttar Pradesh.Rai also referred to the Ram Mandir donation issue and said the Congress has consistently demanded an impartial and transparent investigation. He said the party had questioned the SIT constituted by the state government and had called for an independent probe.He said the faith of crores of Ram devotees is paramount, and the entire matter should be investigated fairly so that the truth comes before the country and action is taken against those found guilty under the law.Rai alleged that action so far appears to have been limited to lower-level individuals, while the role of those at the top should also be examined. He demanded that the roles of Nripendra Mishra, Anil Mishra, Govind Dev Giri and Champat Rai Bansal also be investigated and that legal action be taken wherever required.He said no person should receive protection because of position, influence or political connections, and that the law must be equal for all.Rai also raised the concerns of ration dealers in Uttar Pradesh. He said ration shop operators have been placing their demands before the government for a long time, but their issues have been ignored. He said they are not paid their commission on time, additional work is imposed on them, and their long-pending demands remain unresolved.He demanded an increase in the commission of ration dealers, timely payment of dues, transport expenses and an early resolution of their practical problems. He said the government should hold talks with their representatives and immediately accept their justified demands.
