Uttar Pradesh Congress unit chief Ajay Rai on Friday (September 18, 2026) accused the BJP-led State government of wasting public money on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday at a time when a portion of the country is facing floods and economic crisis persists across the country.

“The entire country saw how birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was celebrated with pomp and ceremony. Lamps were lit across the country and government funds were wasted. This has been done at a time when hundreds of villages in U.P. And other states have been cut off due to the devastation caused by severe floods, there is destruction across the country, people are not getting food or water, they are not getting medicines, and Modi ji is celebrating his birthday,” said Mr. Rai, addressing the media in Lucknow. 

Mr. Rai alleged that 500 bikes were given in Varanasi with a deal that the people who ride them will have to pay ₹700 per day

The Congress state chief said: “Crores of lamps were lit across the country, and at least Rs. five would be spent on lighting one lamp. Several videos are going viral in which it can be seen that children are collecting oil, the leftover oil from the lamps that were lit is being collected by children. A little girl in a viral video can be seen collecting oil and saying that she will use it to cook dinner.”

He said the Prime Minister should be ashamed that there is no oil in these children’s homes to cook food. “And you are spending crores of rupees on your birthday. Poor people do not have money, they do not have money for medicines, in fact you should light lamps in their homes,” he said.

Further, Mr. Rai accused the BJP of being responsible for collapse of the economy, stating that neither employment nor jobs are being provided in the country by the government. “The government says that GDP has increased. But, the reality is there is neither employment nor jobs in the country and Uttar Pradesh,” he added.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President Ajay Rai on Monday (September 14, 2026) demanded an opportunity for the State Trained Graduate Teachers (TGT) and Post Graduate Teachers (PGT) 2026 recruitment exam candidates on the basis of the previous eligibility rules.

In a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Mr. Rai appealed for the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission to be directed to take a positive decision on this subject immediately.

The proposed-UP TGT and PGT 2026 recruitment exam is to fill as many as 23,123 vacant posts in non-government aided secondary schools, Mr. Rai said, stating that he received a representation with an important demand of the candidates.

“I received a representation with an important demand of the candidates related to the proposed-UP TGT and PGT 2026 recruitment in non-government aided secondary schools, in which it has been mentioned that for this recruitment proposed to 23,123 vacant posts, many candidates have earned their educational qualifications as per the rules in force earlier and have been preparing for the recruitment examination for a long time,” he wrote.

Changes made in the eligibility and educational qualification conditions before the start of the recruitment process has left a large number of these candidates ineligible in the current recruitment, Mr. Rai stated.

“They have earned their educational qualification according to the rules and eligibility conditions prevailing at that time and have prepared for recruitment on that basis. In such a situation, due to the change in the eligibility conditions, it is natural that the opportunity to join the current recruitment of the candidates preparing on the basis of pre-determined qualifications will be affected,” the letter, addressed to the U.P. CM, read.

“Therefore, it will be balanced and equitable to give them an opportunity on the basis of the pre-existing rules,” Mr. Rai added.