Rahul slams Modi, MP CM over mid-day meals served on newspapers in Sheopur school
The Congress leader said the BJP government should be “ashamed” after a viral video showed children eating food served on waste newspapers under the PM Poshan scheme
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (November 8) slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav after a video showed schoolchildren being served mid-day meals on used newspapers in MP's Sheopur district. In the anguished social media post, on X, he said they should be ashamed for "nurturing the future of the country in such a pitiable state".
Poor state of Sheopur school
A video posted on November 6 by NDTV's Executive Editor Anurag Dwary went viral on social media. In the video, schoolchildren of a government middle school in Hullpur village of Vijaypur Block, Sheopur district, were seen having their mid-day meals outside the school building on the ground, exposed to direct sunlight without any dining arrangements in place.
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According to Dwary, the food was served on old newspapers instead of proper plates. This video triggered outrage on social media and led to the suspension of the principal in charge of the school and the termination of the self-help group, which was appointed to cook food for the schoolchildren. District collector Arpit Verma reportedly ordered a probe into the matter.
BJP's development under fire
As soon as the video was shared online, it sparked a public debate on the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM Poshan) scheme, the BJP government’s flagship scheme, launched by the Department of Education.
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In the post along with the video, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged that the ruling BJP's "development" was just an illusion and the party's real secret of coming to power is "vyavastha" (the system).
आज मध्य प्रदेश जा रहा हूं।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 8, 2025
और जब से ये खबर देखी है कि वहां बच्चों को मिड-डे मील अख़बार पर परोसा जा रहा है, दिल टूट सा गया है।
ये वही मासूम बच्चे हैं जिनके सपनों पर देश का भविष्य टिका है, और उन्हें इज़्ज़त की थाली तक नसीब नहीं।
20 साल से ज्यादा की BJP सरकार, और बच्चों की थाली… pic.twitter.com/ShQ2YttnIs
'A plate of dignity'
Rahul said that his heart was broken after seeing the video. "I am heading to Madhya Pradesh today. And ever since I saw the news that children there are being served mid-day meals in newspapers, my heart is broken," he wrote, adding that, "these are the same innocent children on whose dreams the future of the country rests, and they are not even getting a plate of dignity".
He took a dig at the BJP government, which has ruled the state for more than 20 years now, stating that, "it has even stolen the plates of children. BJP's 'development' is just an illusion, the real secret to coming to power is vyavastha".
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"Such a chief minister and prime minister should feel ashamed of nurturing the future of the country's children in this pitiable state," he added.
According to PIB, the main objectives of the PM Poshan scheme are to address two pressing problems: hunger and education. It is aimed at encouraging children from disadvantaged sections to attend schools regularly and help them concentrate on classroom activities by providing nutritional food.