Rahul Gandhi's Chhatron Ki Goonj enters BJP stronghold with Indore event

Rahul Gandhi’s Chhatron Ki Goonj outreach is entering a politically significant phase in Madhya Pradesh, with the Congress preparing for what it claims could be the largest student gathering of the series so far in Indore.

The party says nearly 1.20 lakh students have registered for the event, while Congress leaders are working to bring around 25,000 students from coaching centres in Indore and nearby areas to boost the turnout.

State Congress president Jitu Patwari has been visiting colleges across Madhya Pradesh ahead of the programme.

Congress leaders believe that even if only 25 per cent of the registered students attend, the gathering would still see a substantial turnout.

The Indore event will also differ from the Pune programme, which saw a congregation of women students. The Madhya Pradesh event is expected to have both male and female students, which Congress leaders believe could result in a larger gathering.

At the Pune event, Rahul Gandhi had stepped up his criticism of the Modi government while addressing thousands of women students.TRIBAL STUDENTS EXPECTED TO FORM A MAJOR PART OF CROWD

The scale of tribal participation is another factor Congress leaders are banking on in Indore.

Sources claim that nearly 24,000 tribal students are expected to attend, with many coming from the Jhabua belt.

The tribal outreach comes after Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of alleged discrimination at a tribal girls’ hostel while interacting with students in Pune. He later wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the matter.

A senior Congress leader linked the student outreach to the party’s broader social outreach strategy.

“Rahul Gandhi has already made the OBC pitch and outreach to the Dalit community a strong plank. Now, through students, Rahul Gandhi is reaching out to the tribal community as well,” the leader said.FROM ‘NON-POLITICAL’ OUTREACH TO SHARPER POLITICAL ATTACKS

The Chhatron Ki Goonj series began in Kota with Rahul Gandhi repeatedly describing it as a non-political programme. But his messaging at subsequent events has increasingly taken a political turn.

At the initial events, there were few direct political references. In Pune, however, Gandhi invoked RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi while attacking what he described as the BJP-RSS ideological ecosystem.

A senior Congress leader said the political messaging has evolved with each event.

“In Uttar Pradesh, he put the Prime Minister under the scanner. In Dehradun, he questioned paper leaks with CM and PM. In Pune, he spoke about smashing patriarchy and played on the big screen what PM Modi had said about girls, in the presence of thousands of students. So, the attack is likely to be even sharper this time in Indore,” the leader said.WHY INDORE MATTERS TO THE CONGRESS

The choice of Indore gives the programme an additional political dimension.

The historic city has traditionally been considered a stronghold of the Sangh Parivar, while Madhya Pradesh has a deep organisational network of the RSS.

Rahul Gandhi has also repeatedly targeted Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. He has previously attacked the BJP over what he called “corruption in double-engine” government and questioned the functioning and ideology of the RSS.

For the Congress, Chhatron Ki Goonj is increasingly becoming a vehicle for a wider political narrative centred on young people.

Party leaders believe students can influence conversations within their families on issues they feel strongly about, giving youth outreach a significance beyond college campuses.DU POLLS COULD ADD ANOTHER POLITICAL LAYER

The timing of the Indore event could also make the programme more politically charged.

BJP president Nitin Nabin has just visited Ujjain as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday celebrations. At the same time, Delhi University Students’ Union election results, expected to trickle in on Saturday, could provide another talking point around Rahul Gandhi’s student outreach later that evening.

If the results are unfavourable to the Congress-backed NSUI, the BJP could use them to question the Congress’s narrative around Rahul Gandhi’s connect with Gen Z and its portrayal of him as their “guardian”.

For the Congress, therefore, Indore is more than another stop in the Chhatron Ki Goonj series. The event brings together student mobilisation, tribal outreach and a sharper political message as the party attempts to expand its youth outreach in Madhya Pradesh, a state where the BJP and RSS have a strong organisational presence.- EndsPublished By: Sonali VermaPublished On: Sep 17, 2026 17:25 IST