The Shivamogga district unit of the BJP has raised objections to Congress leaders holding meetings in colleges on the Yuva Nidhi scheme ahead of the launch of the scheme in Shivamogga.
S. Dattatri, former president of the BJP district unit, said at a press conference in Shivamogga on Tuesday that Congress leader H.C. Yogesh had held several meetings in colleges in the city. “He does not hold any position in the government. Then, how can he enter classrooms and address the students? In the name of the Yuva Nidhi scheme, the Congress leader is engaged in a party campaign on college premises,” he alleged.
He also raised objections to inviting college students for the launch of the Yuva Nidhi scheme, to be held at Freedom Park in Shivamogga on January 12. “The officers have issued oral instructions to colleges to bring students to the programme. As there is no official circular, the management of private schools is worried about the safety of their children,” he said.
Responding to the allegation, H.S. Sundaresh, president of the Shivamogga district Congress Committee, said there was nothing wrong with involving students in the programme. “College students are future beneficiaries of the scheme. They should understand its benefits,” he said.
Further, he said that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Shivamogga to inaugurate the airport, the BJP government ordered colleges to send their children to the programme. “Then we did not oppose it, though the students had nothing to do with the airport,” he said.
