Roof Collapse at Bagalkot School Sparks Political Row; Ashoka Challenges Rahul Gandhi

Bengaluru/Bagalkot, Sept 3: Karnataka Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka on Thursday took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign after the roof of a government school collapsed while children were attending classes at Mugololli Tanda in Bagalkot taluk.

Ashoka challenged Gandhi to take his student-focused campaign to the affected school and listen to the children who were present when the roof gave way.

“Mr Rahul Gandhi, how about doing a ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ at this Karnataka’s ‘Khatakhat Roof School’?” Ashoka said in a post on X.

The BJP leader urged Gandhi to move beyond political stages and speeches and interact directly with students facing what he described as a basic failure to provide a safe learning environment.

“Forget the stage. Forget the slogans. Forget the rehearsed speeches. Come to Karnataka. Stand in this school. Look at the children. Listen to their voices. Do your ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’,” Ashoka said.

His remarks came amid the BJP’s 10-day ‘Ballari Chalo’ padayatra from Lingasugur to Ballari, during which the Opposition is targeting the Congress government over alleged corruption, administrative failures and governance issues.

Ashoka sought to portray the Bagalkot incident as an example of the gap between the government’s political promises and conditions in government schools.

“A party that lectures India on Nyay cannot guarantee a safe classroom. A government that promises guarantees can’t even guarantee the roof over a child’s head,” he said.

Questioning Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Ashoka asked whether the safety of schoolchildren was included in the Congress government’s much-publicised guarantees.

“Is this your ‘guarantee’ government? Is this all your guarantee extends to when it comes to the lives of children?” he asked.

Ashoka alleged that government schools across Karnataka were struggling with inadequate infrastructure, shortages of shoes, socks and textbooks, and insufficient transport facilities.

“Now, children do not even have a safe roof over their heads to peacefully attend classes,” he said.

The Opposition leader accused the state government of giving greater importance to political publicity than to children’s education and safety. He demanded immediate inspections of dilapidated government school buildings across the state, urgent repairs to unsafe structures and measures to ensure that students are not made to study in buildings posing safety risks.

The Bagalkot roof-collapse incident has provided the BJP with a political counter to the Congress’ ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign, with Ashoka arguing that the government must first ensure safe classrooms before asking students to raise their voices.