With Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign getting political attention at a time when the government is under criticism for the paper leak and alleged exam irregularities, BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday said the influence of the Congress leader’s events would not go beyond the party and its workers.

Nabin said had there been “any substance” in the voice the Opposition is raising for the youth, they “would have done something” for them “when they had the opportunity”. “Those who have given the term ‘goonj’, how much depth do they have in their own voice,” Nabin said at his first press conference since taking charge as the national president of the BJP in January.

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“Those who are misleading the nation’s youth, had there been any real substance to their voices, would have done something for the nation’s youth when they had the opportunity,” he said.

According to the BJP president, the country’s youth are “moving forward towards self reliance” under Narendra Modi’s leadership. “Therefore, I do not believe that the impact of their ‘goonj’ will extend beyond their own party workers. The youth of the country and the general public stand with PM Modi,” he said.

Responding to a question over the tragic collapse of a five-storey paying guest (PG) accommodation near Delhi University’s South Campus, Nabin said both the party and the government will see that the students who travel outside their native places for studies and employment get a safe and secure environment.

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“I would like to assure the students that the government will address the issues and concerns they have raised. In the coming times, we want to ensure a safe and secure atmosphere for the students who go out for studies as well as employment . The Delhi government is currently tackling the challenges. We will have a holistic approach in resolving the issues that are faced by the students,” he said.

With both the BJP and the government still struggling to muster adequate number to push the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha, which is linked to the implementation of women’s reservation law passed in 2023 and the delimitation, Nabin rejected the Opposition’s suggestion to delink the implementation of the law from the delimitation exercise.

“Our commitment to women’s reservation law is clear and we want to empower women. We want to see women benefitting from this as much as possible. But we will not back the narrow approaches that some have suggested. We want to see that participation of women happens in a larger way,” he said.

At the BJP headquarters, Nabin announced BJP’s month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan to celebrate PM Modi’s birthday on September 17 to mark his 25 years in public life, with a series of programmes focused on youth outreach and public participation. He said the PM’s birthday will be observed as ‘Seva Diwas’ and blood donation camps will be organised across the country.

Among the programmes scheduled will be ‘Ashirwad Ke Diye’ on September 17 evening, under which families of the government scheme beneficiaries will light lamps as a gesture of gratitude to the PM. On October 7, when Modi completes 25 years in public office, a collective pledge for ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ will be taken in district headquarters and around 1,000 locations across the country. Same day, ‘Seva Jyoti Kalash Yatra’ programmes with ‘padayatras’, motorcycle and cycle rallies in all district headquarters, and under the ‘Seva Mera Yogdan’ people will be encouraged to contribute at least 25 minutes of ‘shramdaan’ across 25 themes.

“Modi’s journey began as an ordinary worker and today, as the country’s ‘pradhan sevak’, he has advanced his endeavours. This has been possible only through his clear vision, unwavering determination and consistent efforts to bring qualitative changes in social life and to bring about transformations in life,” the BJP chief said.

Under ‘Seva Ki Kahani’, beneficiaries will be given a platform to share stories of how government schemes changed their lives, he said.

The BJP will also organise two youth-led ‘Seva Yatras’ between Modi’s ‘janambhuoomi’ Vadnagar and his ‘karmabhoomi’ Varanasi. Ten teams comprising around 1,000 youths will travel from Vadnagar to Varanasi and another 10 from Varanasi to Vadnagar.

The 20-day yatras will pass through 10 states and include interactions with villagers, farmers, Anganwadi workers, youth clubs and students, besides discussions on welfare schemes and collection of public feedback, Nabin said.