‘Girls will speak, country will listen’: Rahul renews support for students

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday praised the courage of young people who protested against alleged paper leaks, saying they had stood firm against what he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “violent regime”.

Gandhi shared a video of his interaction with students who had protested last month seeking the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged paper leaks. The students had faced alleged police excesses during the protest on 20 July.

Gandhi said he had heard the students’ accounts of alleged police “brutality” and “harassment” after they raised their voices.

The interaction took place earlier this month.

In a post in Hindi accompanying the video, Gandhi said, “The courage and resilience with which India's youngsters have stood firm against Modiji's violent regime, demanding accountability, is commendable.”

He said the students had raised their voices “with peace, love and humour”.

“I am proud of every single young person -- especially the girls who faced the BJP goons' misbehaviour, verbal abuse and violence, even being forced to apologise to the prime minister,” Gandhi said.

He added that their voices could not be silenced.

Gandhi also announced that “Chhatron ki Goonj”, an event where he interacts with students, would be held in Pune on 22 August and would be exclusively for girls.

“Now, the girls will speak and the country will listen,” he said.

Sharing the video on Facebook, Gandhi wrote in Hindi: “Listen in -- what Modiji's violent regime did to students in Delhi on July 20 -- the mistreatment and brutality.”

Gandhi had addressed a press conference after meeting the students on 5 August. Five students appeared with him before the media, including model Rhiya Ahir, whose photograph blocking a police van during student protests in Mumbai had gone viral. She has approached the police alleging online harassment.