New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Sunday once again attacked the government over the recent ‘diya lighting’
event held to commemorate PM Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday. He took to social media platform ‘X’ and said that if the government had the money to light diyas, celebrate Diwali, why did it not have the requisite funds to build hostels for students.
Why no girls hostels: Rahul asks government
Gandhi recalled that he had an interaction with a female student in Indore, who reportedly told him that she had come to the city to study, from a village. However, there were no hostels for girls in the city, hence she was forced to stay in a PG. He said that just to stay safe, she was having to spend lakhs of rupees.
Rahul Gandhi wrote in the ‘X’ post, “The worry of monthly rent, and the fear of becoming homeless – she has to study amidst all this.” Talking about the problems that girls face, he said, many girls drop out of their studies for this very reason. Simply because there’s no place to live.
“सरकार के पास दिया जलाने के लिए पैसा है – हमारे हॉस्टल के लिए क्यों नहीं?”
यह सवाल कल इंदौर में एक छात्रा ने मुझसे पूछा।
गाँव से पढ़ने शहर आई। हॉस्टल है नहीं, तो PG में रहना पड़ता है। सिर्फ़ सुरक्षित रहने में लाखों ख़र्च हो जाते हैं। हर महीने किराए की चिंता, और बेघर होने का डर…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 20, 2026
Gandhi also attacked the government over the housing allowance. He said, “And what about the housing allowance? It doesn’t increase with inflation, and on top of that, it falls prey to corruption.”
He then directly questioned the PM and asked if PM Narendra Modi had any answers to the young girl’s questions.
Rahul Gandhi criticises ‘Aashirwad ka Diya’ programme
Gandhi’s post criticising the PM came just days after a nationwide, ‘Aashirwad ka Diya’ campaign was held to commemorate PM Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday. The event saw several bigwigs of the BJP, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, several CMs of BJP ruled states and other to party leaders, lighting earthen lamps outside their homes to pray for the long life of PM Modi.
The diya lighting was to be done between 6 pm to 7 pm and was part of a nationwide campaign launched by the party. About 3.55 crore diyas were lit simultaneously across Madhya Pradesh on September 17. Apart from this, in Ujjain alone 33.27 lakh diyas were lit along the Shipra river ghats and at Mahakal Lok.
