# BJP chief Nitin Nabin targets Rahul Gandhi over youth outreach in Indore

2026-09-17T17:22:03+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

BJP president Nitin Nabin, on his first visit to Madhya Pradesh since taking charge, attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his upcoming 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme in Indore. Speaking at a government event marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, Nabin questioned the Congress's record on providing loans to youth, asking if they had ever given loans to 57 crore young people. He accused the Opposition of being 'restless' over India's development under Modi and criticised parties for questioning BJP's 'Seva Diwas' celebrations. Nabin also launched the Madhya Pradesh government's 'Swamitva Adhikar Abhilekh Nispadan evam Panjiyan Yojana 2026', which offers free registration of rural property records for about 50 lakh properties. The event included lighting 33.27 lakh earthen lamps in Ujjain, which the state government claimed as a world record. The Hindu reports that earlier, Rahul Gandhi on X slammed the Madhya Pradesh government as the 'most corrupt and most incompetent', citing deaths of tribal children in Balaghat district. The Federal raised questions about the use of state machinery and public funds for the birthday celebrations, noting circulars asking school teachers to participate and the lack of clear budgetary allocation.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

The New Indian Express and The Hindu both report Nabin's political attacks verbatim, presenting his framing of the Congress as divisive and out of touch, but only The Hindu includes Rahul Gandhi's sharp counter-allegation about tribal child deaths in Balaghat. The Federal alone examines the propriety of using government machinery and public money for the celebrations, questioning the line between party and state. The combined coverage shows a standard political duel in the Express and Hindu reports, while The Federal adds a governance dimension that neither of the other two sources touches. The key question is whether the state government will disclose the total expenditure for the lamp-lighting event and the 'Swamitva' scheme rollout. The key question is whether the Madhya Pradesh government will disclose the total expenditure for the lamp-lighting event and the Swamitva scheme rollout.

## Coverage

- newindianexpress.com (neutral report) <https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/madhya-pradesh/2026/Sep/17/nitin-nabin-says-opposition-is-restless-without-power-takes-swipe-at-rahul-over-youth-outreach>
  Leads with Nabin's speech without scrutiny of its claims
- thehindu.com (neutral report) <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/madhya-pradesh/bjp-chief-nitin-nabin-slams-opposition-for-criticising-pm-modis-birthday-celebrations/article71477389.ece>
  Balances Nabin's remarks with Gandhi's counter-allegations
- thefederal.com (government critical) <https://thefederal.com/category/news/pm-modi-birthday-state-machinery-celebrations-256899>
  Questions use of state funds and machinery for birthday events

Tags: BJP, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, Nitin Nabin, Rahul Gandhi
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