Modi Refuses to Take Questions at Kerala Youth Conclave

Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to take questions from youths at the BJP’s Yuvam 2023 conclave in Kochi on April 24 and immediately left after delivering a 45-minute lecture. While most TV channels celebrated the conclave as a pathbreaking event, it was mere hype.

The BJP had claimed that Yuvam would be a platform for students, who were selected online, to ask questions and interact with Modi on the party’s Kerala agenda.

The event was organised under the name ‘Vibrant Youth for Modifying India’, which claimed to be non-political, but an array of BJP leaders, state president K Surendran, new entrant Anil K Antony and others, were present.

Participants hold placards with questions for the PM at a public meeting held in Ernakulam. (Image Courtesy: DYFI Kerala).

Modi claimed that the state has suffered due to the ideological conflict between the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF. 

“The PM and the BJP are trying to spread false propaganda and misleading the people on the developmental achievements of Kerala,” alleged CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan.

Soon after the conclave was announced, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) claimed that questions would be screened before being asked to Modi. 

DYFI national president and Rajya Sabha member AA Rahim accused Modi of running away from the “scripted” questions. “The organisers of Yuvam 2023 projected that the youth could interact with the PM and the event would be apolitical. However, no questions were allowed. The PM delivered a political speech and left the venue,” he posted on Facebook. 

The DYFI asked 100 questions to the PM at public meetings under the theme ‘Youth of India-Ask the PM’ in all the districts on Sunday and Monday.

The questions included the BJP’s election promises: two crore jobs for the youth every year, retrieving black money hoarded abroad in 100 days, ensuring MSP to farmers and other pressing issues, including those faced by women, Dalits, tribes and minorities. 

The organisation recalled Albert Einstein’s statement on asking questions. “The important thing is not to stop questioning,” a DYFI statement said countering the BJP’s scripted questions. “The PM has never held a press meet since assuming office nine years ago. He is afraid of questions,” the statement read. 

The DYFI’s first question was how did India slip to the 107th position in the list of 121 nations on the Global Hunger Index. The organisation also asked why the BJP government refuses to implement the MS Swaminathan Commission report recommending C2+50% as the MSP as promised during the 2014 election campaign.

Kerala’s minister for health and family welfare Veena George inaugurates a public meeting in Pathanamthitta. (Image Courtesy: DYFI Kerala).

“Why didn’t the Union government fill 12 lakh vacancies in various departments and 5 lakh vacancies in the Railways? Is this the way the government treats the nation’s youth?” asked DYFI state president V Vaseef.

“According to the 2022 National Crime Records Bureau report, 25,231 youth committed suicide due to unemployment and indebtedness. In 2014, the BJP promised to provide two crore jobs per year,” he told Newsclick. 

The DYFI also questioned the increasing LPG, petrol and diesel prices, leading to rising prices of essential commodities. One of the participants at the Kochi event asked why the Centre slashed the budgetary allocation for pre-matric scholarships by 41%.