PM says he wants to forgive kids who abused him, mother
PM said he and his late mother were abused at Jantar Mantar, but urged forgiveness, saying abuse never solves anything.
Key implications and reactions
- Modi’s emphasis on forgiveness contrasts with legal proceedings already initiated over abusive slogans.
- By referring to protesters as “misguided children,” the Prime Minister attempted to strike a conciliatory tone while condemning abusive language.
- Congress continues to argue that the focus should remain on accountability for the alleged NEET paper leak.
- The Meta episode has increased government scrutiny of content moderation practices involving political leaders.
- The incident has renewed debate over AI-driven moderation and accidental removal of public-interest content.
- Modi’s remarks sought to present the youth as part of the nation’s future rather than as adversaries.
PM Modi says abusive slogans won’t solve NEET protest crisis, calls for forgiveness
In a late-night Instagram video on Friday, July 31, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the abusive slogans raised during the student protests over the alleged NEET paper leak at Jantar Mantar. Instead of demanding punishment, he chose to speak about forgiveness, saying abusive language solves nothing and that the country’s youth should be guided rather than dragged into lengthy legal battles.
What the Prime Minister said
Modi acknowledged the frustration and anxiety felt by many young people over their future and competitive examinations. At the same time, he criticised the abusive language used during the protests, saying it crossed the limits of civil discourse.
He revealed that not only had he been targeted with offensive remarks, but his late mother, Heeraben Modi, had also been insulted. Referring to the incident, he said the entire country and even the world had witnessed what happened at Jantar Mantar.
The Prime Minister described the protesters as “misguided youngsters” and argued that responding with harsh punishment would not resolve the larger issue. Instead, he said society should help correct their mistakes through guidance and patience.
He illustrated his point with a simple analogy, saying people do not remove their teeth simply because they accidentally bite the tongue. In the same way, he said, the nation’s youth are part of the country’s family and deserve understanding rather than rejection.
Modi concluded by expressing hope that young people would move forward with the country and contribute positively to its future.
Political reaction
The Congress quickly responded to the Prime Minister’s remarks.
Congress media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera shared Modi’s video on social media and remarked that while the country was expecting an apology from the government over the NEET paper leak controversy, the Prime Minister had instead chosen to “forgive the country.”
The opposition has consistently argued that the government should take responsibility for alleged irregularities in the examination system rather than focus on the conduct of protesters.
Meta summoned over temporary video removal
Alongside the political debate, the government has also questioned Meta over the temporary removal of Modi’s earlier video addressing the NEET issue.
The video, originally uploaded on July 23 as part of the Prime Minister’s outreach to young people, briefly disappeared from Facebook before being restored.
Meta apologised for the incident, describing it as a technical error and stating that the removal was accidental rather than the result of any deliberate moderation decision. The company said it regretted the mistake and restored the content soon afterwards.
Government sources, however, indicated that officials were not fully satisfied with the explanation. Senior Meta executives, including the company’s global public policy leadership, have reportedly been asked to explain what caused the incident and what safeguards would prevent similar mistakes in the future.
The episode has intensified the wider debate over content moderation, automated moderation systems and the handling of political content on major social media platforms.
Together, the Prime Minister’s appeal for forgiveness and the government’s questioning of Meta highlight two parallel developments—one centred on political messaging and reconciliation, and the other focused on strengthening oversight of social media platforms and their content moderation systems.