Guwahati: Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Wednesday alleged that education was the last priority for the BJP-led government at the Centre and in Assam.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a youth conclave organised by the state Congress here, Kumar also claimed that students were being deprived of basic facilities like classrooms, hostels and laboratories.

He asserted that the government had funds to build houses for elected representatives, but lacked it for developing educational infrastructure.

"Why is education the last priority of this government? If you see in Assam, too, budget allocation for education has been decreasing over the years.

"My direct question is that a young country like India, with Assam also having a sizeable youth population, how can you develop it when youth are not getting education and exams are not held on time? If exams are held, papers get leaked, vacancies are not filled, and there is no job guarantee," he said.

Kumar said that the "entire education system" was in an ICU, not just at the national level but also in Assam.

"The government, which is supposed to run schools, is closing them down, and opening private schools. The 'model schools' are being operated on the 'Jio model', where you offer the SIM card free and ask for money to recharge it," he claimed.

BJP offices come up in a "five-star manner", but schools "do not get constructed", the Congress leader alleged.

Schools destroyed by floods are also being closed down, he said.

"The PM gets a Rs 8,500-crore plane, but students do not get equipment and libraries," Kumar claimed.

He emphasised that only "an educated Bharat will lead to a viksit Bharat", urging the youth to press for their right to education.

This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.