The Crossbill Team
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (July 22) intensified his attack on the Narendra Modi government over the police action against student protesters, calling for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and demanding accountability for those responsible for the alleged use of force during Monday's demonstration.
Addressing a press conference a day after being detained during a sit-in outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, Gandhi said the opposition fully backed the students' demands.
He also called for Prime Minister Modi to apologise to the protesters and showed a video of the police action that followed the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march on July 20.
Gandhi said the protesting students had three "legitimate" demands, beginning with the removal of Pradhan.
“The first demand, completely legitimate, is that Dharmendra Pradhan, who has failed as an education minister, who is known to be corrupt, should be relieved of his duties. This is a 100% legitimate demand. Nothing wrong with it. He has shown India and the world that he is incapable of running the education system,” he said.
He said the second demand was for action against everyone involved in the alleged police excesses, from those who ordered the action to those who carried it out. The third, he said, was an apology from the Prime Minister.
“The students’ second demand is that every single person who raised a finger on our students, the people who ordered it and the people who executed it should be made accountable. Third thing is that the man who is running this entire show, the man who is finally accountable, should have the decency to apologise to the students for what has happened,” he said, referring to Modi.
Gandhi also alleged that 152 examination paper leaks had occurred over the past decade, affecting 7.5 crore students, without resulting in a single conviction.
“There have been zero convictions despite 152 paper leaks,” he said.
Describing education as one of India's major strengths, Gandhi argued that the system had now become a “rigged system”.
“Every month, lakhs of students are told that all the stress you went through, you will have to undergo it again and ‘we don’t give a damn’,” he said.
He also highlighted the financial burden borne by families preparing for competitive examinations, claiming that they spend up to Rs 1.32 lakh crore annually on exams, a figure he said was close to the country's Rs 1.4 lakh crore education budget, only to face the possibility of question papers being leaked.
Gandhi said the student unrest was also rooted in the lack of employment opportunities after education.
“But there is a more fundamental reason [why students’ are protesting]. Even after you acquire an education, you become a doctor or a lawyer or learn something, you’re suddenly told that the doors that should be open for you, what your country and your government owes you – a job – is closed,” he said.
He argued that manufacturing opportunities had shrunk amid the influx of Chinese goods, entrepreneurship was being constrained, artificial intelligence was affecting corporate employment and privatisation was reducing opportunities in the public sector, leaving government jobs as one of the few remaining options for many young people.
“We are in 100% agreement with what every student is feeling and there must be some consequences for what was done a few days ago,” he said referring to Monday’s police action on protesters.
“This gentleman, Dharmendra Pradhan, has destroyed India’s biggest asset, what used to be called the best thing India had – our education system – has been wiped out. We fully support the students’ demands and every demand of every person who is on the streets,” he said.
Gandhi's remarks came a day after he joined Congress MPs for a sit-in near the Prime Minister's residence, where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also participated.
The government had deputed Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh to engage with Gandhi and urge him to call off the protest. Gandhi, however, continued the demonstration and was subsequently detained along with other opposition leaders, with visuals showing police personnel forcibly removing him from the protest site.
The Congress leader's renewed demands are expected to intensify the opposition's campaign over the NEET-UG controversy, with the issue of examination integrity, student protests and alleged police excesses emerging as major points of confrontation during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Addressing a press conference a day after being detained during a sit-in outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, Gandhi said the opposition fully backed the students' demands.
He also called for Prime Minister Modi to apologise to the protesters and showed a video of the police action that followed the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march on July 20.
Gandhi said the protesting students had three "legitimate" demands, beginning with the removal of Pradhan.
“The first demand, completely legitimate, is that Dharmendra Pradhan, who has failed as an education minister, who is known to be corrupt, should be relieved of his duties. This is a 100% legitimate demand. Nothing wrong with it. He has shown India and the world that he is incapable of running the education system,” he said.
He said the second demand was for action against everyone involved in the alleged police excesses, from those who ordered the action to those who carried it out. The third, he said, was an apology from the Prime Minister.
“The students’ second demand is that every single person who raised a finger on our students, the people who ordered it and the people who executed it should be made accountable. Third thing is that the man who is running this entire show, the man who is finally accountable, should have the decency to apologise to the students for what has happened,” he said, referring to Modi.
Gandhi also alleged that 152 examination paper leaks had occurred over the past decade, affecting 7.5 crore students, without resulting in a single conviction.
“There have been zero convictions despite 152 paper leaks,” he said.
Describing education as one of India's major strengths, Gandhi argued that the system had now become a “rigged system”.
“Every month, lakhs of students are told that all the stress you went through, you will have to undergo it again and ‘we don’t give a damn’,” he said.
He also highlighted the financial burden borne by families preparing for competitive examinations, claiming that they spend up to Rs 1.32 lakh crore annually on exams, a figure he said was close to the country's Rs 1.4 lakh crore education budget, only to face the possibility of question papers being leaked.
Gandhi said the student unrest was also rooted in the lack of employment opportunities after education.
“But there is a more fundamental reason [why students’ are protesting]. Even after you acquire an education, you become a doctor or a lawyer or learn something, you’re suddenly told that the doors that should be open for you, what your country and your government owes you – a job – is closed,” he said.
He argued that manufacturing opportunities had shrunk amid the influx of Chinese goods, entrepreneurship was being constrained, artificial intelligence was affecting corporate employment and privatisation was reducing opportunities in the public sector, leaving government jobs as one of the few remaining options for many young people.
“We are in 100% agreement with what every student is feeling and there must be some consequences for what was done a few days ago,” he said referring to Monday’s police action on protesters.
“This gentleman, Dharmendra Pradhan, has destroyed India’s biggest asset, what used to be called the best thing India had – our education system – has been wiped out. We fully support the students’ demands and every demand of every person who is on the streets,” he said.
Gandhi's remarks came a day after he joined Congress MPs for a sit-in near the Prime Minister's residence, where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also participated.
The government had deputed Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh to engage with Gandhi and urge him to call off the protest. Gandhi, however, continued the demonstration and was subsequently detained along with other opposition leaders, with visuals showing police personnel forcibly removing him from the protest site.
The Congress leader's renewed demands are expected to intensify the opposition's campaign over the NEET-UG controversy, with the issue of examination integrity, student protests and alleged police excesses emerging as major points of confrontation during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Comments (0)
Leave a Comment