India, Aug. 16 -- Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused PM Narendra Modi-led government of crushing the dreams of the youth, avoiding questions in Parliament and pushing young people towards protests through its policies.

Speaking at Indira Bhavan after Modi's Independence Day address, Kharge said peaceful protest was a constitutional right and students demanding their rights should not be branded anti-national.

"The government's wrong policies have pushed the youth into a dark road," Kharge said, adding that the government had "neither the funds nor the ideas for schemes that drive the nation forward."

He also questioned why Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah did not respond to Opposition concerns over police a...