Uttarakhand: Rahul backs students protesting paper leak, calls BJP 'paper chor'

Extending his backing to agitating students in Uttarakhand — long viewed as a BJP stronghold — Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday intensified his attack on the BJP, saying the ruling party had earned the dubious distinction of being known as “paper chor (thief)”. He linked the growing crisis of unemployment with what he termed “vote chori (theft)", accusing the BJP of neglecting the plight of the youth while focusing solely on clinging to power.

In a post on X, Gandhi declared: “Today, BJP's other name is 'Paper Chor'! The repeated paper leaks across the country have ruined the lives and dreams of millions of hardworking youth.” He insisted that the BJP government had demonstrated no concern for employment opportunities, charging instead that its only preoccupation was with electoral manipulation.

The trigger for Gandhi’s latest salvo was the alleged paper leak in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) graduate-level examination.

According to him, “lakhs of youth toiled day and night but BJP dashed all their hard work through theft”. He reiterated that the Congress had long been demanding the creation of a robust and transparent mechanism to curb leaks in recruitment exams. “But the Modi government is turning a blind eye to this, because they are not concerned about youth unemployment, but about their own power,” he said.

For Gandhi, the link between joblessness and democracy’s erosion is unmistakable. “Unemployment is the biggest problem facing the country today, which is directly linked to vote chori,” he argued, suggesting that the BJP, as “paper chors”, believed that electoral malpractice could insulate them from accountability. “The youth are on the streets, raising the slogan ‘paper chor, gaddi chhod’ (step down, paper thieves),” he added.

The Congress leader also sought to elevate the issue beyond a matter of recruitment grievances, framing it as a moral struggle: “This is not just a fight for jobs for the youth, it is a fight for justice and democracy. I stand firmly with every student and youth in this fight for justice,” he declared, employing the hashtag #PaperChorGaddiChod.

Gandhi has been consistently using the term 'vote chori' in his political campaigns, most prominently during his recent Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, where he alleged widespread electoral rigging. He has further accused the BJP of attempting to “illegally” manipulate voter rolls in collusion with the Election Commission of India, allegations firmly denied by both the ruling party and the poll body.

The Uttarakhand controversy, however, has taken on an additional dimension after chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami described the episode as 'nakal (cheating) jihad'. Dhami claimed that organised groups had deliberately undermined recruitment examinations through systematic cheating, likening it to a campaign against meritocracy.

His remark quickly stirred debate, with critics warning against communalising the issue. Investigations so far suggest that those allegedly involved in leaking and distributing the paper included both Hindu and Muslim individuals, complicating attempts to frame the scandal in purely sectarian terms.

Meanwhile, the fallout has sparked a wave of student protests. On 21 September, reports surfaced that three pages of a question paper had been circulated during a competitive examination for several government departments.

Outraged by what they see as repeated betrayals of their future, hundreds of students, under the banner of Uttarakhand Berozgar Sangh, have established makeshift camps outside the Parade Ground in Dehradun, where they continue an indefinite strike. Their demands echo Gandhi’s accusations, underscoring a deepening crisis of trust in the recruitment process.

With exam leaks becoming a recurring scandal across multiple states, and unemployment persisting as one of India’s gravest challenges, the controversy provides fresh ammunition for the Opposition to question the BJP’s governance record. For the protesting youth in Uttarakhand, however, the battle remains immediate and personal — a struggle to secure both justice and dignity in the face of uncertainty.