Congress faces fresh hurdle for Rahul Gandhi's Indore student outreach event

• Congress faces another hurdle over Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Indore, with the IDA seeking an additional Rs 4.03 lakh for early use of government land

• The party had already shifted the event from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium after mayor cited high court order restricting its use to sports and government events

• Indore dispute follows hurdles faced by earlier editions of student outreach programme, in Kota, Dehradun, Prayagraj and Pune

The Congress has run into another hurdle over Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ student outreach programme, with the Indore Development Authority (IDA) asking the party to pay an additional Rs 4.03 lakh for using part of a government ground before the period covered by its lease.

The Congress had already deposited Rs 10.08 lakh for a three-day temporary lease of around 12,000 sq. m of land in front of Regional Park from 17 to 19 September. Gandhi is scheduled to address the fifth edition of the programme in Indore on 19 September.

In a letter to Indore city Congress president Chintu Chouksey, the IDA said a site inspection found that 4,800 sq. m of the allotted plot had been used by the party from 14 September. It has consequently sought an additional Rs 4.03 lakh as lease fee for those three days.

The IDA, which comes under the state government, issued the letter after BJP state spokesperson Rakesh Singh Yadav complained that the Congress was using the land beyond the period specified in its permit. “This matter is not about opposing any political programme, but about collecting the prescribed revenue for the use of government land,” Yadav said.

Chouksey, however, objected to the additional demand, alleging that it was the result of pressure from BJP leaders. He accused the administration of acting as a “puppet” of the ruling party.

The latest dispute comes after the Congress had already been forced to shift the venue and postpone the event.

The party initially sought permission to hold Gandhi's programme at the city's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on 12 September. Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava, citing a Madhya Pradesh High Court order, said the stadium could be used only for sports events or state-level government programmes. The Congress subsequently moved the event to 19 September and applied for the land opposite Regional Park.

The difficulties in Indore are also part of a wider pattern surrounding the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign. The student-dialogue programme, launched by Gandhi to raise issues including question paper leaks, expensive education, irregularities in government recruitment and unemployment, has faced logistical and administrative hurdles at earlier venues as well.

Four editions have so far been held in Kota, Dehradun, Prayagraj and Pune, all in BJP-ruled states. The Indore event will be the fifth.

The Congress has described the programme as an effort to engage directly with students on education and employment issues and to target the BJP-led government over what it calls failures in these areas.

The latest disagreement, meanwhile, centres on the use of government land: the IDA says the Congress used part of the allotted site three days before the lease began, while the party alleges that the additional demand reflects political pressure.

With PTI inputs