Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has received clearance from local authorities to hold his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ student interaction event in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, following the reversal of a venue cancellation.
Uncertainty had surrounded the event, scheduled for August 8, after the management of KP College withdrew permission to use its sports ground. In a letter to the City Congress Committee president, Chaudhary Jitendra Nath Singh, acting president of Kayasth Pathshala, explained that the booking had been cancelled on the advice of the principal. The decision cited an Allahabad High Court ruling from August 2025 that warned against disrupting academic activities, and the organisers were asked to collect their refund.
The clearance came shortly after Gandhi accused the administration of attempting to block the programme at every turn, vowing to speak up for students regardless of official resistance.
In a statement posted on social media, the Congress leader highlighted ongoing demonstrations by Allahabad University students against fee increases and reduced enrolment capacity. According to him, instead of interacting with the protestors, the officials had been filing police cases against them on charges that there was a tendency in the central government to crush any youth protest through force and legal means.
Gandhi further stated that the official opposition started immediately after he announced his visit to Prayagraj as the officials were afraid of the increasing restlessness among the students.
After lifting the ban on the venue, the public meeting will take place as scheduled.
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