New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of maintaining a "studious silence" on key issues affecting the people of Uttar Pradesh, as it alleged that he has "failed" women, farmers and youth.

Ahead of the prime minister's rally in Meerut, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions for him on behalf of the people of Uttar Pradesh.

To avoid having to come clean on his real intentions, he has maintained a "studious silence" on these key issues so far, Ramesh said and went on to list the issues which he claimed the people of Uttar Pradesh are hoping to hear from the PM on.

"Publicly, PM Modi loves talking about women's empowerment and 'Nari Shakti' but he has repeatedly failed Indian women, even within his own party. Just two weeks ago, the BJP Mahila Morcha's National Vice President quit the party, citing that female party workers were being 'insulted' and 'treated harshly'," Ramesh said.

"Another female leader, the President of the Mahila Morcha in UP's Moradabad, was physically assaulted by local leaders, and forced to turn to social media to demand justice," he claimed.

Ramesh further alleged that when India's female wrestlers fought for justice last year, the Modi government was the first to betray them in pursuit of its political calculations.

"Will Mr. Modi finally acknowledge his failures, and take action against the accused," he asked.

"Yesterday, the Modi Sarkar conferred the Bharat Ratna on two champions of India's farmers - Chaudhary Charan Singh and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. Even as the prime minister pays lip service to both these leaders, he has failed farmers consistently," he alleged.

Back in 2014, Modi used to often make promises to implement the Swaminathan Committee Report but since then, he has put the report in "cold storage", and suppressed attempts by India's farmers to protest for their rights and livelihoods, Ramesh claimed.

The Congress has guaranteed that it will give legal status to MSP, in accordance with the Swaminathan Commission's formula, he said.

"What is the prime minister's stance on the same Swaminathan Commission Report that he used to once tout?" Ramesh said.

Raising the issue of examination paper leaks, Ramesh said under the Modi government's reign, at least 43 papers to exams for recruitment to government posts have been leaked over the last few years across the country, hurting the prospects of at least two crore candidates.

"Most recently, 60 lakh applicants for the UP Police Exams had their futures disrupted by the cancellation of the exam after the paper was leaked. These are not just numbers - these are the hopes and dreams of India's youth that are hanging in the balance," he said.

Under its Yuva Nyay Guarantee, the Congress has committed to bringing robust legislation that will design institutions and best practices to prevent paper leaks from occurring in the first place, Ramesh said.

"What is Mr. Modi's vision to address the harm done to our youth? What is the BJP's 'Double Engine' Sarkar doing to rectify its mistakes and ensure that our youth never face such injustice again?" he said and asked the prime minister to break his silence on these issues.

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Vijayanagara: One man was killed and 12 others were injured after a truck hit vehicle they were traveling in on the National Highway 50 stretch on the outskirts of Koodligi in the district.

The accident victim, Madhu (27), is learned to have been an employee of Reliance Digital from Andhra Pradesh.

The vehicle was reportedly traveling from Bengaluru to Koodligi and the passengers are learned to have been seriously injured following the collision with the truck, which was found to have a Maharashtra registration.

Koodligi Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Mallesh Dodmani and Circle Inspector Prahlad Channagiri arrived at the accident spot on being informed of the accident.

The police officers and locals rescued the injured passengers and got them shifted to the Koodligi Government Hospital. Some of the passengers were reportedly taken to the Ballari Trauma Care Centre for further treatment.

A case has been registered at the Koodligi Police Station and the officers are investigating the incident.