Congress Demands PM Apology Over Student Protests, Accuses Him of Playing 'Victim Card'

The Congress party on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of playing the 'victim card' by saying he has forgiven the youth who abused him, and demanded an apology for the alleged brutality against student protestors and the trauma caused by paper leaks.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Prime Minister's Friday night Instagram video was an act of 'supreme self-obsession' and that his 'InstaGram sabhas' are fooling no one. 'Late last night, in an act of supreme self-obsession, the Prime Minister said that he forgave our youth. This is an insult to the nation and to our youth, which has suffered under his government and is legitimately demanding an apology from him,' Ramesh wrote.

In the video, Mr. Modi expressed pain over alleged 'filthy abuses' directed at his late mother during protests at Jantar Mantar, and lamented that 'our daughters' had used such language. He said he could understand the anguish in society but stressed the need to embrace and guide the 'misguided children' on the right path.

Responding to the Prime Minister's remarks, Ramesh accused him of using 'vile vitriol' against predecessors and political opponents, and of unleashing 'an army of foul-mouthed abusers' both inside and outside Parliament. He also listed several issues for which, he claimed, the Prime Minister owes an apology: the handling of student protests, paper leaks in examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), alleged mismanagement of the Ram Mandir Trust, and the November 2016 demonetisation.

Ramesh said the entire nation is waiting for the Prime Minister to apologise for the 'trauma inflicted on lakhs of youth' through the NTA and the 'Home Ministry-sanctioned brutality on student protestors.' He also referred to the Ram Mandir Trust as an 'establishment' that Mr. Modi had 'grandly announced' in Parliament in February 2020, and called demonetisation a 'Tughlakian' move that destroyed livelihoods.

The Congress's remarks come amid ongoing student protests in several parts of the country, with demonstrators demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in competitive exams and action against those responsible for any excesses during police crackdowns. The Prime Minister, in his video, did not directly address the demands for an apology but urged society to forgive the youth.

Political observers note that the exchange reflects the heightened tension between the ruling party and the opposition over the handling of the protests. While the government has maintained that necessary actions were taken to maintain order and transparency, the opposition has accused it of suppressing dissent and failing to address systemic issues in examination processes.

The Prime Minister's office has not yet issued a formal response to the Congress's latest statement. The ongoing standoff is likely to remain a flashpoint in the coming weeks as both sides seek to shape public opinion.