Congress jabs PM Modi over forgiving students after Jantar Mantar protest

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would forgive students who abused him and his late mother during the Jantar Mantar protest. Congress replied that the country wanted an apology from him, not forgiveness.

In Short

• Modi said protesters used abusive language against him and his late mother
• He called the students misguided and opposed solving the matter through courts
• The prime minister urged society to embrace young people and guide them

The Congress on Friday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his video message on the Jantar Mantar students' protest, saying that while the country was asking him to apologise, he had instead "forgiven the country".

In his message, Modi said he and his late mother were subjected to abusive language at Jantar Mantar during the protests over alleged NEET irregularities. He said taking such "misguided children" to court would not solve the problem and that he wanted to forgive them instead.

Tagging the prime minister's video and post, Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said in a post on X in Hindi, "Listen to this. The country is asking him to apologise, yet he has forgiven the country."

In another late-night video message released on Instagram, Modi said he could understand the anguish in society, but stressed that this was the time to embrace the youth and guide them on the right path. "Not only was I subjected to abusive language at Jantar Mantar, but even my late mother was abused there. But abuses never solve anything; let's guide the misguided," he said.

Describing the students as "misguided children", Modi said punishing them or making them go through court proceedings would not solve the problem. "I want to forgive them. People make mistakes, but this is a cultural shock that our daughters are using such abusive language. We must forgive our youth who were misguided; after all, they are our children. It's our duty to show them the right path," he said. The exchange centred on Modi's remarks that the students should be guided rather than punished, and the Congress' response that he was offering forgiveness when the country was seeking an apology.

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