Channi absent from CWC meet due to PhD exam, Randhawa says “Is this really national news?”

New Delhi [India], August 20 (ANI): Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Wednesday downplayed former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s absence from the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, stating that Channi was away appearing for his PhD examinations.

Speaking to reporters, Randhawa questioned the media attention surrounding Channi’s absence from the crucial party meet and said that Channi was studying and appearing for an examination.

“He is studying. Is this really important, national news? All of you know that he is writing an exam,” Randhawa said.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Wednesday discussed several issues, including paper leaks and student protests, alleged “Chanda Chori” and the recent developments in Haldwani, with Congress MP KC Venugopal saying that the party will take up these issues at the grassroots level.

Venugopal said that more than 88 people attended the meeting, while 33 participated in the discussion, including chief ministers and senior working committee members.

He condemned the alleged developments in Haldwani following Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally and demanded a direct apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging an “upper-caste mindset” behind the incident.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the Modi government had “devastated the future of the youth” over the past 12 years, claiming that 94,000 schools had shut down in recent years and calling for a clear, comprehensive and time-bound “Education-to-Employment Roadmap” for young people.

Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the party headquarters, Indira Bhawan, Kharge alleged that instead of new schools opening, 94,000 schools had shut down in recent years.

He further alleged that higher education was becoming increasingly expensive and out of reach for ordinary families due to what he described as a race towards privatisation, and claimed that educational institutions were increasingly being taken over by RSS affiliates.

“The time has come for Congress to prepare a clear, comprehensive, and time-bound Education-to-Employment Roadmap for the youth to prepare for the future,” Kharge said. (ANI)