IndiaPosted at: Sep 20 2026 1:32PM


‘Government has money to light lamps, why not for our hostels?’: Rahul Gandhi questions student accommodation crisis

New Delhi, Sep 20 (UNI) Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday questioned the government over the lack of affordable and safe hostel accommodation for students, particularly young women who migrate from villages to cities to pursue higher education.
Referring to a question raised by a student during his interaction with youngsters in Indore on Saturday, Gandhi said the student had come to the city from a village for her studies but was forced to stay in paying guest (PG) accommodation because no hostel facility was available.
Quoting the student, Gandhi wrote in a post on social media platform X, “The government has money to light lamps — why not for our hostels?”
Gandhi said the absence of affordable accommodation placed an additional financial and emotional burden on students. “She has come to the city from her village to study. There is no hostel, so she has to live in a PG. Just staying safely costs lakhs. Every month, she has to worry about rent and live with the fear of becoming homeless — and she has to study amid all this,” he said.
He claimed that the problem was forcing some girls to discontinue their education. “Many girls drop out of their studies for this very reason. Simply because there is no place for them to live,” Gandhi said.
The Congress leader also raised questions over housing allowances available to students, alleging that such assistance had failed to keep pace with rising living costs and was affected by corruption. Turning the issue directly towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he asked, “Narendra Modi ji — do you have any answer to that girl’s question?”
Gandhi's remarks came a day after he addressed the Congress's ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Indore, where students raised concerns relating to education, employment, recruitment delays, examinations and inadequate infrastructure. The availability and affordability of hostel accommodation also emerged as an issue during the interaction, particularly for students travelling from rural areas to cities for education.
At the programme, Gandhi emphasised the importance of students being able to question institutions and authorities and criticised what he described as inadequate educational infrastructure and limited access to hostels. His latest remarks extended that criticism to the financial pressures faced by students who have to arrange accommodation privately.
The ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme was held in Indore on September 19 following a dispute over its proposed venue. The Congress had initially planned to hold the event at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, but after permission for the stadium was not granted, the programme was shifted to an alternative venue near Regional Park.
The hostel issue has broader implications for students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds, for whom moving to an urban centre can involve substantial expenses beyond tuition fees, including rent, food and transport. Gandhi's intervention put the spotlight on whether adequate and affordable residential facilities are available to students who have to leave their homes to pursue education in cities. UNI SKA AAB
Tags: #‘Government has money to light lamps# why not for our hostels?’: Rahul Gandhi questions student accommodation crisis
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