New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday accused the Modi government of “usurping” funds allocated to scholarships for students from marginalised communities.

“Narendra Modi ji, your government has snatched the scholarships of the youth of SC, ST, OBC and minority categories in the country,” Kharge wrote in a post on X.

The congress leader posted a table of the various scholarships and the corresponding decline in funds available to students from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Communities (OBC) and other minority communities.

According to the data, collated through budget documents and replies given in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge said that pre-matric scholarships for students from SC communities fell by 57% in the last nine years, while those for OBC communities were slashed by 77% in the past five years. He also pointed to a 94% fall in in pre-matric scholarship for minorities over four years.

For post-matric scholarship schemes, the decline was as follows: 21% dip in in the last decade for students from ST communities, 13% decline over nine years for those from SC communities, 58% cut in the same period for OBC, EBC and Denotified Tribes and 83% dip in four years for minorities.

“These shameful government statistics show that the Modi government has not only drastically reduced the beneficiaries in all scholarships, but has also spent 25% less funds on an average year after year,” Kharge said.

“Your slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ mocks the aspirations of the weaker sections every day,” he added.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.