Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the BJP-led government over the NEET and previous examination paper leaks, accusing it of failing India's students and responding to peaceful protests with force instead of accountability. Backing the ongoing agitation demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, Gandhi said the government was in a state of "panic" and had lost the confidence of the country's youth.
Addressing reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi defended the Opposition's stand on the issue, alleging that repeated paper leaks had devastated the aspirations of millions of students while the government continued to evade responsibility. He also criticised the police action against protesting students and Opposition MPs, asserting that the demands being raised were those of the country's youth and were "non-negotiable."
Top quotes of Rahul Gandhi's press conference
- "152 paper leaks have affected 7.5 crore students and their families in the last decade." Gandhi alleged that repeated examination leaks had become a systemic crisis impacting millions of young people across the country.
- "What exactly have our students done? Why are security forces pointing weapons at them?" Gandhi questioned the police action against students, saying they were only protesting peacefully for a fair and transparent education system.
- "They are asking for what this country owes them." He said students deserved an education system that was credible and free from repeated examination irregularities.
- "Children have committed suicide." Referring to the emotional toll of repeated paper leaks, Gandhi said students endured enormous stress preparing for examinations, only to discover that question papers had been leaked.
- "Our three demands are clear." Gandhi reiterated that the Congress and the Opposition were demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accountability for those responsible for the alleged assault on protesting students, and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to students across the country.
- "Every government reaches a point where it collapses psychologically. The leadership collapses." Gandhi claimed the Centre's response to the protests reflected a government that was acting out of panic.
- "The action against the students is a panic reaction. What they did to us yesterday was also a panic reaction." He alleged that both the police action against protesters and the treatment meted out to Opposition MPs showed the government's insecurity.
- "These are not our demands; they are the students' demands, and we are fully backing them." Gandhi maintained that the Opposition was merely amplifying the voices of students and that their demands were "not negotiable under any circumstances."
- "Even the people who were removing me were whispering in my ears, saying that this government should be removed." Recalling the police action against him during the protest, Gandhi claimed that even some police personnel privately expressed dissatisfaction with the BJP-led government.
- "Whether the House runs tomorrow is a matter for the entire Opposition to discuss." Gandhi said the Opposition would collectively decide its parliamentary strategy, while making it clear that it would continue to press for the students' demands inside and outside Parliament.
The Congress leader maintained that the issue went beyond politics and was about safeguarding the future of millions of students. He urged the government to restore faith in the country's examination system by accepting responsibility, ensuring accountability, and addressing the concerns of students rather than suppressing their protests.
