Kharge, Rahul Gandhi Praise Youth Wings Over SIR Protests

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday met leaders of the party's youth and student organisations and the Seva Dal, praising their role in protests against the Election Commission over alleged electoral irregularities and the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The meeting at the Congress headquarters, Indira Bhawan, was attended by party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Sharing photographs of the interaction on X, Kharge accused the Modi government of suppressing dissent and using police action against protesters.

"Today, at Indira Bhavan, New Delhi, we had an insightful interaction with leaders of NSUI (National Students Union of India), IYC (Indian Youth Congress) and Seva Dal, who have courageously challenged the Modi Government's authoritarianism, even while enduring brutal police crackdowns," Kharge said.

He said young people had always played a crucial role in shaping the country's political direction and praised party workers for challenging the government.

"Their courage and conviction strengthen our collective resolve to protect India's Democracy," he said.

NSUI president Vinod Jakhar, Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib and Seva Dal chief organiser B.V. Srinivas attended the meeting. NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar and Youth Congress in-charge Manish Sharma were also present.

Party sources said the leadership thanked the organisations for their participation in recent protests and encouraged them to continue raising issues concerning electoral transparency and democratic rights.

The Congress has intensified its campaign against the Election Commission over alleged large-scale voter deletions during the SIR exercise and has accused the BJP-led government of undermining democratic institutions.