Sri Vijaya Puram, Aug. 6: The withdrawal of permission for Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s proposed student interaction programme in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj has triggered a political controversy, with the Congress accusing the BJP-led state government of attempting to obstruct democratic engagement. The permission for the August 8 event at KP Ground was revoked two days before the scheduled programme, with the venue’s management citing safety concerns arising from continuous rainfall and a court order.
The event, titled ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’, was scheduled to bring Rahul Gandhi together with students in Prayagraj. However, the Kayastha Pathshala Trust, which owns KP Ground, cancelled the permission, stating that prevailing conditions were unsafe due to incessant rains and referring to a court order as the basis for its decision.
The cancellation prompted strong reactions from Congress leaders, who alleged that the decision was politically motivated. Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai claimed the BJP government was attempting to prevent Rahul Gandhi’s outreach to students and linked the Prayagraj development to earlier disruptions of similar programmes in Kota, Rajasthan, and Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
In a post on X, Rai alleged that the ruling dispensation was making repeated attempts to stop what he described as Rahul Gandhi’s dialogue with students across the country. He maintained that the Prayagraj programme would go ahead and appealed to students and examination aspirants to reach the city on the scheduled date.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also reacted to the cancellation, telling reporters, “Don’t know what they are afraid of,” when asked about the withdrawal of permission for the event.
Congress MP Vivek Tankha criticised the decision while speaking to reporters on Parliament premises, saying it amounted to “throttling democracy” and questioning the government’s commitment to democratic values.
Another Congress MP, Imran Pratapgarhi, described the development as “shameful” and criticised the administration for preventing interaction between the Leader of the Opposition and students. He said it was unfortunate that permission had been cancelled for a students’ programme when Rahul Gandhi intended to engage directly with them.
Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hassan also criticised the move, calling it “unconstitutional”. She said every individual has the right to travel and interact freely in a democracy and asserted that preventing such engagement reflected the government’s weakness.
The controversy has emerged just days before the scheduled August 8 programme, with Congress leaders continuing to oppose the withdrawal of permission while insisting that the event will proceed.
