Picture : ANI/X
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to “forgive” young protesters who used abusive language against him and his late mother triggered sharp reactions from Opposition leaders, who accused him of avoiding questions over alleged police action against protesters and the larger issues raised by the agitation.
In a late-night video message posted on Instagram and X , Modi said it pained him that even his late mother was subjected to “filthy abuses” at Jantar Mantar and expressed “cultural shock” over the language used by young women protesters.
Abuses never solve anything.
Let’s guide the misguided.
Let’s work together.
Let’s work for Bharat. pic.twitter.com/yAePG60KYL
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 31, 2026
At the same time, he called for forgiving the “misguided children”, saying the youth should be guided rather than punished.
The remarks drew a strong response from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who said, “India’s students do not need his forgiveness. They are owed his apology.”
“Behind every young life lost is a family carrying pain that will never leave them – and serious questions about a broken education system. Leaked papers. Cancelled exams. Years of preparation destroyed overnight. Our students are told to work honestly in a system that is not honest with them. And the Prime Minister has the audacity to speak of ‘forgiving’ students. He has not met a single grieving parent. He has not sat with a single student whose future was stolen by a leaked paper,” the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha wrote on X.
अपने बच्चों को खोने वाले माता-पिता के आंसू, उनका बिलखना – इससे बड़ा कोई दुःख नहीं होता।
ये एक ग़म उनके साथ हमेशा जिंदा रहेगा – और साथ ही रह जाते हैं इस टूटी और भ्रष्ट education system के बारे में कई सवाल।
पेपर लीक | रद्द परीक्षाएं | सालों की तैयारी एक पल में बर्बाद – हमारे… https://t.co/vBNOyxJKSu
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 1, 2026
AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said while he agreed with Modi that abusive language should not be used, why did it take “you so long to gain this wisdom”.
“Your people spared no one’s mother, sister, daughter – they hurled the filthiest abuses at everyone,” Singh said.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said “abuse, apologies, reels are all diversionary tactics”, arguing that the focus should remain on alleged police action against protesters.
“Only one real issue – Amit Shah must answer for brutality of police & CRPF/RAF. There is no escaping that,” she posted on X.
Moitra also questioned the prime minister’s reference to “daughters”, saying, “Men abused you too. Please don’t reserve your advice for only ‘daughters’.”
Rashtriya Janata Dal Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha said if the prime minister’s call for forgiveness meant that students who used abusive language should be spared FIRs, arrests and court proceedings, it was welcome.
