JAIPUR: The much-anticipated interaction between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and students in Kota on Wednesday has intensified political sparring in Rajasthan, with the Congress and BJP trading barbs over the purpose and timing of the visit.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha will meet students at Kota's Dussehra Ground to discuss issues including the NEET paper leak.
The event in Kota, often referred to as the 'Coaching Capital' of India, will also mark the beginning of a nationwide Congress campaign focusing on the future of the youth, transparency in recruitment examinations, employment and reforms in the education system.
Rahul Gandhi was initially scheduled to travel to Kota by train, but the plan was later changed. According to the revised schedule, he will now arrive by chartered flight.
He is expected to land at Kota Airport from New Delhi at 3.15 pm. From the airport, he will proceed to a private heritage hotel near Nehru Garden on Station Road, where he is scheduled to stay until 8 pm.
Following the interaction with students, Rahul Gandhi will attend an event at the Shri Ram Rangmanch at Dussehra Ground at 8 pm. Later, he will leave for Delhi at 10.20 pm on the Indore Hisar Superfast Express.
State Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra said Rahul Gandhi's mode of travel was changed due to concerns that the BJP's "double engine" government could allegedly delay the train and disrupt the programme.
He remarked that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister are capable of such tactics, calling them dictators against whom one must be prepared to fight on every front. As a result, a chartered flight was arranged for Rahul Gandhi.
Senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi over the visit, noting that 50,000 students are preparing for NEET in Kota. He described Rahul Gandhi as a "political tourist" and argued that the visit would only create last minute stress for students appearing for the examination.
Rathore said Rahul Gandhi did not visit when 19 papers were allegedly leaked during the previous Congress government's tenure, nor did he show up when 18 examinations were cancelled, affecting the futures of 2.6 million young people.
Dotasra hit back, alleging that BJP leaders were tarnishing Kota's reputation. He said, "They didn't even allow an FIR to be registered after the paper leak. BJP President Madan Rathore is saying the paper was leaked from Kerala. We are saying the same thing, that the paper was leaked. Dharmendra Pradhan is a minister for the entire country, not just for Rajasthan; he has tarnished Rajasthan's reputation as well."
Dotasra claimed that papers for 15 examinations had allegedly been leaked in Rajasthan during the last two and a half years of BJP rule.
He further said that Rahul Gandhi's programme in Kota was entirely non political and focused on issues affecting young people.
"The programme will focus primarily on the youth. Rahul Gandhi will discuss issues such as paper leaks, unemployment, irregularities in recruitment examinations and problems related to exams like the CBSE in detail," Dotasra said.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also targeted Kota MP and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that people were being threatened from Birla's office.
In a post on social media platform X, Gehlot wrote, "Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is coming to Kota on June 17 to interact with students in protest against the NEET paper leak. There is great enthusiasm among students and party workers regarding this event.
"Seeing this enthusiasm among the youth, the BJP has become completely rattled; calls are being made from the offices of the Kota MP and Lok Sabha Speaker to threaten operators of coaching centres, PGs and guest houses, warning them not to let any students attend this event."
BJP leaders, however, dismissed the allegations as baseless and described Rahul Gandhi's visit as "political drama".
BJP National General Secretary Sunil Bansal described Gandhi's interaction with students over the NEET UG paper leak as "political drama".
"Rahul Gandhi is coming to Kota when students have exams coming up. Yet he is coming to hold a dialogue. How will the interaction take place when the exam is just four days away?" Bansal said.