Congress builds on Rahul's Kota outreach with fresh offensive

The Congress on Friday stepped up its attack on the BJP over education, unemployment and examination-related issues, seeking to build on the momentum generated by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's 17 June interaction with students in Rajasthan's Kota as the party prepares to take its youth outreach campaign to other parts of the country.

In a media briefing, National Students' Union of India in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar accused the Modi government of failing to address repeated examination paper leaks and turning education into a "product".

"Today, there's no exam whose paper isn't being leaked," Kumar alleged, claiming that even examinations such as the UPSC were now facing questions over their integrity.

The Congress leader demanded strict action against those responsible for paper leaks, called for the National Testing Agency (NTA) to be disbanded and sought the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

He also linked the issue to youth unemployment, asking how India could become a developed country when millions remained unemployed and students faced growing uncertainty over examinations. "The common person's trust in the education system has been shattered today. Students have been stripped of their right to dream," Kumar said.

Appealing to students not to lose hope, he said the Congress party stood with them and asserted that the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' movement launched by Rahul Gandhi would eventually become a nationwide movement.

Kumar's remarks came two days after Gandhi's interaction with students in Kota, India's coaching hub, which party leaders have projected as the first in a series of planned engagements with young people across the country focused on education, examinations and employment.

Echoing many of those concerns, Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra said the country's education system was "not meant for the poor" and required urgent reform.

"The education system in the country is not meant for the poor, it troubles everyone and forces students into distress. It needs to be changed," Dotasra said at a press conference in Jaipur, referring to issues raised by Gandhi during his Kota interaction.

He said suggestions had been sought from people and experts across the country on reforms that would help children from poor families access opportunities in fields such as medicine, engineering and the civil services.

Dotasra also accused the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Rajasthan of undermining democratic institutions and misusing central agencies. "The Constitution is being tampered, attempts to end voting rights, and misuse of agencies like the Income Tax Department and CBI," he alleged.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Tika Ram Jully echoed those concerns, alleging that delays in conducting elections to panchayats and municipal bodies amounted to "an insult to democracy".

The Rajasthan Congress announced a district-level outreach campaign over the coming week to highlight issues related to education, examination paper leaks and other public concerns.

With PTI inputs