Student Protest Row Deepens As Rahul Demands Pradhan’s Exit
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Centre of failing India's students and alleged that repeated examination paper leaks had destroyed faith in the country's education system
The political confrontation over the alleged crackdown on students protesting against examination irregularities intensified on Wednesday, with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and laying down three conditions for resolving the crisis. A day after Congress leaders were detained during a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence, Gandhi accused the Centre of failing India’s students and alleged that repeated examination paper leaks had destroyed faith in the country’s education system.
Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by senior Congress leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and K.C. Venugopal, had been detained on Tuesday evening while protesting outside the Prime Minister’s residence. Addressing a press conference at Indira Bhavan on Wednesday, Gandhi said the Congress and the INDIA bloc stood “100 per cent” with the protesting students and would continue to raise their concerns both inside and outside Parliament.
Rahul Gandhi lists three demands
Gandhi said the government could begin addressing the crisis only by meeting three key demands: the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, strict action against those responsible for allegedly assaulting and humiliating students during the protests, and a public apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is non-negotiable,” Gandhi said while outlining the Congress party’s demands.
The Congress leader argued that repeated examination paper leaks had affected millions of students and their families across the country.
“Seven-and-a-half crore students and their families have been affected. These are middle-class and poor families who invest their hard-earned money in their children’s education,” he said.
Referring to alleged examination irregularities over the past decade, Gandhi claimed the country’s education system had been systematically weakened.
“Our education system, once regarded among the best in the world, is today a rigged system. We know that 152 paper leaks have taken place over the last decade. That works out to roughly one every month. Every month, lakhs of students are told that all the stress and hard work they went through has gone to waste and that they must start again,” he said.
During the press conference, Gandhi displayed three presentation slides, which he said explained the reasons behind the ongoing student agitation. He argued that the issue extended beyond examination leaks and reflected a broader employment crisis confronting India’s youth.
According to Gandhi, repeated failures in the examination system have undermined the confidence of students preparing for competitive examinations, many of whom see such tests as their only opportunity for employment and upward social mobility.
The Congress has been demanding a discussion on examination irregularities, including the NEET controversy, during the Monsoon Session of Parliament while extending support to the ongoing student protests.
Priyanka Gandhi attacks government, says ‘Democracy is finished’
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also launched a sharp attack on the government while arriving in Parliament dressed in black as a mark of solidarity with protesting students.
Addressing reporters in the Parliament House complex, she alleged that the government was preventing the Opposition from raising students’ concerns in Parliament.
“In Parliament, debate is not being allowed. The Leader of Opposition is not allowed to speak, and neither are other Opposition leaders. Whenever they rise to speak, they are stopped,” Priyanka Gandhi said.
Questioning the functioning of Parliament, she criticised the Speaker’s reported remarks that discussions required the government’s approval.
“The Speaker says he has to ask the government whether a debate can take place. What is this? Democracy is finished,” she said.
Referring to Tuesday’s protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence, during which Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and several Opposition leaders were detained before being released later in the evening, Priyanka said the focus should remain on the students rather than the political leaders.
“What happened to us is irrelevant. We are standing with the students and raising their voice. What happened to the students, was it right or wrong? They are all young students,” she said.
She described the agitation as a legitimate expression of public concern and said the issues being raised resonated across the country.
“They are protesting, and this is not just any protest. It is a genuine issue, a genuine problem. Every parent in this country knows it. Every student in this country knows it. Every teacher knows it,” she said.
Priyanka Gandhi also questioned the government’s spending priorities, alleging that financial support for ordinary citizens had taken a back seat.
“The entire education budget for the youth of this country is Rs 1.4 lakh crore. But you are writing off loans worth Rs 16 lakh crore for Adaniji and Ambaniji. The farmers get nothing, the poor get nothing, and the students get nothing,” she said.
The Congress protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence on Tuesday had triggered a political confrontation after police detained Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and several Opposition leaders following a standoff with authorities. While all the detained leaders were released after a few hours, the Opposition has vowed to continue pressing for a debate on examination irregularities and maintain pressure on the government over the treatment of protesting students.
