Union Minister and senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal on Sunday claimed that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi "feels threatened" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's growing popularity among young people, saying Gandhi no longer enjoys the appeal he once believed he had among the youth.
Claiming that the BJP continued to enjoy the support of young voters, Goyal said "Gen Z was always with us".
He said young people would continue to back Modi's vision of making India a developed nation.
Describing Modi as the world's "most popular leader", the Mumbai North MP said the prime minister's engagement with young people and presence across social media platforms would help accelerate the country's development.
"Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi feels threatened because of the growing popularity of PM Modi and the way he is connecting with the youth. Gandhi used to consider himself as a youth leader. It has been proven that he is no longer as popular as PM Modi," Goyal told reporters.
Responding to questions on the youth protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, which later culminated in the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union education minister, Goyal defended the Centre's handling of examination paper leaks, saying the government had enacted stringent legislation under Modi's leadership.
He claimed the Congress-led UPA government had planned legislation on examination paper leaks in 2010-11 but lacked the courage to introduce it.
The NDA government under Modi enacted such a law in 2024 and later strengthened it through amendments providing for stricter punishment and fast-track court trials, Goyal said.
He added that Opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party, had opposed the legislation in Parliament.
"I can understand their disappointment and frustration as voters are rejecting them again and again. They are losing elections one after another. When the Bill was being discussed, they should have supported it. I condemn the Congress, Samajwadi Party, AAP etc for opposing the Bill," Goyal said.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 was passed by both Houses of Parliament last week.