New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Minister and BJP leader Danish Azad Ansari on Sunday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his student programme in Prayagraj, accusing him of attempting to mislead the youth and describing the event as a "complete flop show."

Ansari said the programme, which was projected as an interaction with students, was more about political messaging than addressing issues concerning young people.

Speaking to ANI, Ansari said that Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme in Prayagraj failed to generate the response claimed by the Congress.
"Today in Prayagraj, Rahul Gandhi started the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme. Very big claims were made, including that millions of students had registered, but his programme turned out to be a complete flop show," Ansari said.

He further accused the Congress leader of repeatedly attempting to mislead young people.
"Rahul Gandhi has continuously been failing in his attempts to mislead the youth. This programme was less about students and more about delivering a political speech," he said.

Rahul Gandhi had visited Prayagraj and interacted with students as part of the Congress' campaign focused on issues concerning the youth, including employment and examination-related concerns. The programme also became another occasion for a political confrontation between the BJP and Congress.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised Gandhi for holding the student interaction in Prayagraj while students in Jharkhand were protesting over recruitment examination-related issues. Rijiju suggested that Gandhi should have visited Ranchi to meet the protesting students.

Meanwhile, Danish Ansari also highlighted the BJP's outreach among Muslim youth in Uttar Pradesh and pointed to the party's Tiranga Yatra as an example of its efforts to connect with young people across communities.
"Modi-Yogi government has always worked with the intention of making Muslim youth educated and empowered and bringing them into the mainstream of society. You can see its picture on the streets of Lucknow. More than 10,000 Muslim youth are taking out this Tiranga Yatra with us," Ansari said.
He further said, "You can see whom the Muslim youth stand with. Muslim youth are the future of our community, and this future stands with the Modi-Yogi government."

The BJP's Tiranga Yatra programmes have been organised across Uttar Pradesh as part of the party's broader patriotic outreach ahead of Independence Day. The programmes have also been used to highlight participation by young people from different communities.

Ansari, who is among the BJP's prominent Muslim faces in Uttar Pradesh, has consistently stressed the party's outreach to Muslim youth and the Pasmanda community.

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