NEW DELHI: Congress leader and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday offered to participate in the ongoing protest by teacher job aspirants in Madhya Pradesh, while alleging that the “system” was preventing students from raising questions.Speaking at the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Indore, Rahul Gandhi said students were being targeted because they questioned the functioning of institutions and the opportunities available to them. His remarks came amid continuing concerns among students and job aspirants over recruitment and education-related issues in Madhya Pradesh.Gandhi said, “The system feels threatened by students. Why? Because students ask questions. A student asks how Amit Shah’s son became the Chairman of the Cricket Association. A student asks how two individuals managed to capture the entire business landscape of India. A student asks why the judiciary and other institutions fail to do their jobs, or why the Election Commission isn’t performing its duties. That is why the system does not want students; it wants ‘Andhbhakts’. An andhbhakt is the antithesis of a student. While a student asks questions and remains curious, an andhbhakt lives in a delusional world of their own. While a student is fearless, an andhbhakt is a coward.”
Rahul alleges ‘system’ controls institutions
Rahul Gandhi also alleged that a network of political, bureaucratic and business interests controls institutions across the country. He said the struggle by students was against what he described as the “system”.“The struggle is against the system. What is this system? The system has various layers. At the top level sit six individuals who run it. Narendra Modi ji—he handles the intimidation, the acts of beating students, the use of nail-studded batons, and the firing of pellet guns; Amit Shah ji runs it; he is the enforcer. This is Ajit Doval ji, the National Security Advisor. In informal conversations, he says that to control India, one only needs to control 500 people. He has taken control of India’s telephones, WhatsApp, and Facebook communications; he orchestrates phone tapping and passes the information to Amit Shah ji and Narendra Modi ji. In the middle is Mohan Bhagwat ji, who deals with ideology; his organization receives thousands of crores of rupees to run schools, colleges, and institutions. Then, on one side, there is Adani ji, and on the other, Ambani ji…The system has placed its own people in every single institution…”Rahul Gandhi’s remarks were made during his interaction with students at the fifth edition of his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ initiative in Indore. The initiative has focused on issues concerning education, examinations, recruitment and employment. Gandhi had earlier invited students, parents and teachers to share their experiences and concerns about the education system ahead of the Indore event.‘System designed to protect students is attacking them’Rahul Gandhi also responded to a student who raised concerns over the functioning of universities and alleged lack of transparency.“As I just mentioned, students feel that the very system designed to help and protect them, and to safeguard universities and colleges, is the one attacking them,” Rahul Gandhi said.
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Interacting with him, a student said, “Absolutely. The universities are simply unable to cooperate; there is fraud going on everywhere. There is a complete lack of transparency. All we want is a proper solution to the issues we have brought to you so that all our problems can be resolved…”The Indore programme is part of Gandhi’s ongoing ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ outreach, which has previously been held in Kota, Dehradun, Prayagraj and Pune. The initiative has focused on student concerns including examination irregularities, recruitment delays and employment.Gandhi’s Indore event was shifted to September 19 after the Congress said permission to use Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium had been denied. The party subsequently arranged an alternative venue for the programme.
