Rahul Gandhi Backs Student Protest, Demands Action Over Assault and NEET Paper Leaks

New Delhi, Jul 23: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Modi government over the state of the country’s education system, expressing full support for the ongoing student protests and calling their demands “legitimate and non-negotiable.” Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Gandhi accused the government of dismantling India’s education system and said protesting students were seeking nothing more than a fair and functional system. SouthAsians & Diaspora “The protesting students are not terrorists. They are simply asking for an education system that works and is fair,” Gandhi said, while demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise to students and sought accountability for those responsible for the alleged assault on protesters. The press conference began with the screening of a video purportedly showing police action against students during Monday’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest. Questioning the police response, Gandhi said, “Why are students being beaten, thrashed and confronted with weapons? They are peacefully demanding what this country owes them—a fair education system.” The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said students across the country face immense stress, with some even driven to suicide, due to failures in the education system. Claiming that India’s once-respected education system had become “rigged,” Gandhi alleged that 152 examination paper leaks had occurred over the past decade. “Every month, lakhs of students are told that all the stress and effort they invested was meaningless because they have to go through the process again,” he said. According to Gandhi, nearly 7.5 crore students have been affected by the breakdown of the education system, while no one has been convicted despite the repeated paper leaks. “A group of people are destroying our education system and the future of our students,” he alleged. Gandhi further claimed that Indian families spend around ₹1.32 lakh crore annually on examinations—an amount nearly equal to the Union government’s education budget of ₹1.4 lakh crore. “This is nothing short of theft from families. After making them spend so much, the government tells them the examination paper has been leaked,” he said. He also argued that students face shrinking employment opportunities after completing their education. “Manufacturing, entrepreneurship, corporate jobs and public sector opportunities are all closing. Government jobs become the only option, and then even that system is rigged and made unaffordable,” Gandhi alleged. Reiterating the Congress party’s support for the protesters, he said their demands—including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan—were justified. SocialIssues & Advocacy “Dharmendra Pradhan has shown he is incapable of running the education system and should be relieved of his responsibilities,” Gandhi said. He also demanded action against those responsible for the alleged police excesses and urged Prime Minister Modi to apologise to students. “We fully support these demands and stand with every student protesting on the streets,” he added. Gandhi’s remarks came a day after he, along with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, staged a sit-in outside the Prime Minister’s residence demanding a discussion on student-related issues and Modi’s resignation. The protest in the high-security zone prompted the government to send Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to persuade the opposition leaders to leave. However, the talks failed to produce a resolution. Police later detained Rahul Gandhi and several opposition leaders. Gandhi was taken to Chhatrasal Stadium before being released later in the evening. Priyanka Gandhi and other Congress MPs were taken to Mandir Marg police station, while some leaders were shifted to Kingsway Camp police station. All were released after a few hours. Following his release, Rahul Gandhi said the opposition had decided to stage the protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence after concluding that the government had no intention of allowing a discussion in Parliament on the students’ issues. SocialIssues & Advocacy