INDORE: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the system of suppressing students’ questions on unemployment, examination irregularities and the influence of a few industrialists, and said students, rather than “Andhbhakts”, had the power to rid the country of violence and hatred.
Addressing a large gathering of students at the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Indore, Gandhi said institutions created to support students and protect universities and colleges were now working against them.
“The system has captured the entire country. It does not want students to raise questions,” he said. “Students are asking questions about the system, including about certain industrialists, but the Andhbhakts oppose them. Only students can wipe out violence and hatred from the country, not Andhbhakts.”
Gandhi also offered to join an ongoing protest by teacher recruitment aspirants in Madhya Pradesh. Claiming that nearly 10 lakh teaching posts were vacant across the country, he said the crisis reflected the government’s failure to protect the future of young people.
Several students who shared the stage with Gandhi raised issues including recruitment delays, paper leaks, the rising cost of education and the alleged lack of transparency in universities and government examinations.
A student told Gandhi that several candidates who had cleared Madhya Pradesh government examinations were still awaiting appointments as recruitment to 13 per cent of the posts had been put on hold following a legal dispute. Other students also raised the freeze on the 13 per cent quota in state recruitment examinations.
A tribal student urged Gandhi to raise the shortage of hostels for Adivasi students in Indore.
Gandhi said students across the country were under pressure and uncertain about their future. “Students are not happy. They are uncomfortable and do not see a future ahead of them,” he said.
Gandhi alleged that six people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and billionaire businessmen Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, were running the system.
“The system does not want the judiciary, the bureaucracy, the Election Commission and other institutions to function properly and independently."
“Students question as they are curious, while the andh-bhakts are delusional. Students talk of love and respect, while the andh-bhakts spread hate and hatred. Students are humble with humility and listen to others, while the andh-bhakts are full of arrogance. Students are fearless while andh-bhakts are cowards. Students respect women, but andh-bhakts are patriarchal and attack and humiliate women. Students are honest, while the andh-bhakts are dishonest and liars”, he said, amidst huge applause from the crowd.
Asserting that it was the duty of governments at the state and Centre to provide education from kindergarten to university, Gandhi said education was not a luxury or favour but the right of every student.
He claimed that the BJP government had reduced the education budget allocation from 4.6 per cent during the Congress government to 2.6 per cent. He also claimed that 1.5 crore students were denied scholarships and about one lakh schools were closed over the last 10 years, while there were 10 lakh teacher vacancies.
Referring to the recent collapse of a PG building in Delhi that left seven students dead, Gandhi said only 14 per cent of students were getting hostel facilities, attributing the situation to cost-cutting and privatisation of education.
Gandhi also met the grandfather, father and sister of Arpit, an 18-year-old student among those killed in the Delhi PG building collapse. He expressed his sympathies to the family and assured them of full support.