Mumbai, August 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A political dispute has erupted ahead of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Pune, with the BJP alleging that students are being paid to attend the event, while the Congress has rejected the charge.
BJP MLA Ram Kadam alleged that students were being offered money based on the number of participants they could bring to the programme.
“Their condition has been reduced to an extent where students are being paid to attend the programme. A rate card has been made that a specific amount will be given to those according to the number of students they are able to bring,” Kadam told IANS.
He questioned the nature of the interaction Rahul Gandhi could have with students who, he alleged, were being paid to participate.
“Nobody is coming to listen to Rahul Gandhi, they are coming because they are getting paid for that,” he claimed.
Kadam said his allegation was not baseless and cited videos circulating on social media as evidence. He also alleged that the opposition was attempting to use students and youth to generate political issues.
The BJP leader said India’s economic position had changed significantly over the past 12 years, claiming that the country had moved from being the world’s 10th-largest economy to the fourth-largest economy in terms of nominal GDP.
Congress leader Yashomati Chandrakant Thakur rejected the allegation, saying the party did not have the financial resources to pay students.
“Let me tell you one thing, we don’t have money. Look at the BJP’s accounts and look at our accounts. Where will we get the money from? We simply don’t have the money,” she said.
Thakur said Congress workers and students were participating out of enthusiasm and added, “No one is afraid.”
Meanwhile, the political dispute was accompanied by a violent clash between members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at the hostel premises of the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) late Friday night.
Police sources said a lathicharge was carried out to bring the situation under control. Following a complaint by ABVP members, Shivajinagar Police registered cases against 50 to 60 people, including six named NSUI and Youth Congress activists.
The confrontation reportedly centred on student registrations for the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme. NSUI activists had been visiting college campuses to encourage students to participate.
NSUI representatives alleged that ABVP members threatened and confined two female students inside the hostel premises because they supported the event. NSUI and Youth Congress members said they entered the campus to free the students, following which police used batons to disperse them.
The ABVP, however, alleged that NSUI and Youth Congress members were forcibly pressuring hostel residents to register for and attend the programme, triggering the confrontation.
FOLLOW NOW
