New Delhi

The Indian National Congress on Thursday announced a nationwide outreach campaign aimed at highlighting issues such as rising prices, unemployment, examination paper leaks and what it described as concerns over the democratic process.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the party's general secretaries, state in-charges and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) presidents at the party headquarters, chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

The meeting was attended by senior party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K. C. Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Bhupesh Baghel, among others.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Jairam Ramesh said the campaign would begin by the end of June and focus on a range of issues affecting different sections of society.

He said the party intends to raise concerns regarding the possible impact of upcoming trade agreements on farmers in several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh. He also highlighted concerns related to examinations such as NEET and CBSE assessments.

Ramesh noted that despite the enactment of legislation to curb paper leaks two years ago, incidents continue to surface. He said Rahul Gandhi had stressed during the meeting that many of these issues stem from excessive centralisation of decision-making.

The Congress leader also alleged that democratic institutions were facing challenges, claiming that both electoral processes and representation were under pressure.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Kharge said the country is grappling with multiple challenges, including inflation, unemployment, examination irregularities and social inequalities.

He said repeated paper leak incidents in competitive and recruitment examinations have undermined the confidence of millions of students and their families. Kharge noted that Rahul Gandhi had met affected students and raised their concerns at various forums.

The Congress president further alleged that institutions built over decades were being weakened and stressed that the party's responsibility extended beyond political opposition to safeguarding constitutional values, democracy and social justice.

Later, K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh jointly briefed reporters, stating that the campaign against what they termed the shortcomings of the Modi government would continue for the next two to three months.

According to Venugopal, the objective of the campaign is to raise public awareness about issues affecting citizens and hold the government accountable on matters such as employment, inflation and governance.

The Congress leaders also criticised the rejection of party candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination for the Rajya Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh.

Venugopal said the party would challenge the decision through both legal and political means. He questioned the grounds on which the nomination was rejected and alleged inconsistencies in the scrutiny process.

Ramesh further claimed that the decision was influenced by the state government and alleged that the independence of the election process had been compromised.

In a post on social media, Venugopal said the meeting focused on the hardships being faced by citizens and outlined the party's plans to engage with people across the country.

He also reiterated the party's criticism of the rejection of Natarajan's nomination and pledged to continue its efforts to protect democratic institutions.

The Congress leader further alleged that recurring paper leaks, unemployment and job insecurity were affecting the aspirations of young people, while rising living costs were placing increasing pressure on households. He also expressed concern over issues affecting Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

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The party said its forthcoming nationwide campaign will seek to take these issues directly to the public in the coming months.