New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Shri Rahul Gandhi, addressed the media at the Parliament House precinct today, sharply criticising the handling of ongoing student protests over the education and examination system. He accused the government of suppressing legitimate youth concerns and failing to address systemic failures.
Accompanied by Opposition MPs, Gandhi had earlier met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking a discussion on student issues in Parliament. He recounted: “We went to the Speaker and said we want to discuss the student issue. The Speaker told us he has to ask the government for permission. Meaning, you should understand… the Speaker is telling us that to debate in Parliament, he has to take permission from the government! He is openly telling us that.”
Gandhi described the police action against protesting students as “completely un-Indian.” He pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not apologised for the previous day’s incidents, where students were allegedly beaten during protests. “The issue is students’. It is about the future of the youth. And what is being done — people are being killed, being beaten. This is completely un-Indian,” he said.
The LoP emphasised that students are protesting against a broken education and testing system. “The whole country knows that the education system, testing system is broken… it has ceased to exist. Testing system has been hollowed out by termites,” Gandhi remarked, adding that he had made multiple presentations on the issue. He questioned the Prime Minister’s silence: “Why is the Prime Minister silent? What is the reason? He should apologise to the students and he should stop this nonsense of police people thrashing students… it is completely wrong.”
Responding to reports from an NDA meeting where Union Minister Kiren Rijiju conveyed the PM’s concern over student issues, Gandhi stressed the need for better treatment of young people. “This is no way to treat the young people of this country. They have no opportunities; all the doors are closed. There is only one door which is open, which is the door of the competitive exam and that door is also destroyed.”
He framed the protests as going beyond education to the broader future of India’s youth. “These students are not just complaining about the education system, they are complaining about their future. They are saying that in this country today, because of Mr. Adani and Ambani, because of the RSS’s complete takeover of the education system, because of the Pracharaks becoming vice-chancellors of the universities, we have no future… that’s what they are saying.”
Gandhi highlighted the stark contrast in opportunities: “This is not just about education; this is about the future of young people. They watch Mr. Ambani’s wedding and they watch thousand crores being spent over there and they have no money to open a business if they want, they have no future… This is much bigger than simply education. This is the students of this country saying — in India, we have no future, we want a future. This is legitimate, there is nothing wrong with this.”
On demands for accountability, Gandhi said he would meet the injured students. Regarding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, he stated: “Dharmendra Pradhan… he is an intermediary, absolutely he should resign. But Dharmendra Pradhan hasn’t beaten up the students, the Home Minister has… he should resign, and the Home Minister reports to the Prime Minister… he should resign.”
The remarks come amid heightened tensions following protests by groups like the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over alleged irregularities in exams such as NEET-UG 2026, including paper leaks, and subsequent police action during a march towards Parliament. The government has maintained that action has been taken against those involved in leaks, with re-examinations conducted.Gandhi’s address underscores the Opposition’s push for a parliamentary debate on youth concerns during the ongoing Monsoon Session.