Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday accused the Modi government of losing Rs 455 crore from its flagship "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" scheme, citing an RTI disclosure that he claimed lays bare the Centre’s deceptive narrative.

In a post on X, Kharge wrote, "RTI shows Rs 455 crore has vanished from the Modi government’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ initiative." He criticized the BJP’s slogan "enough of attacks on women," calling it a hollow taunt to victims of harassment under their decade-long rule, including alleged assaults by party supporters.

Kharge, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, pointed to recent incidents like the rape of a woman on a government bus in Pune, alongside unresolved cases in Manipur and Hathras, and the struggles of India’s female Olympians. "Women’s safety has evaporated under BJP governance," he charged.

The Congress leader recalled posing three questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the scheme, including accusations of suppressed data. "This latest RTI bombshell further unmasks the Modi government’s falsehoods," he asserted.

Kharge’s remarks intensify the opposition’s attack on the BJP, framing the RTI findings as evidence of mismanagement and hypocrisy in a scheme meant to empower girls, amplifying political tensions as public scrutiny grows.