Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and senior leader of Congress, Rahul Gandhi on Sunday again stepped up his attack on the Union Government over police crackdown on student protestors, warning Union Home Minister Amit Shah that he shall be answerable for the government’s actions.
Rahul Gandhi
His remarks came amid intensifying protests by the students in Jharkhand and Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ student outreach programme in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. Gandhi recalled an interaction with a student during his Prayagraj programme, posting on ‘X’ that the young man had told him he could see ‘no way out.’ His ‘X’ post read, “A student said to me that he has no way out left now. This defeat is not his. This is the defeat of the system.”
Gandhi questions Shah’s silence
Gandhi took an aim at Minister Shah over his alleged silence in Parliament during the Monsoon session, claiming that 13 days had passed without the Home Minister addressing the student protests issue and the reported police crackdown on them.
Furthermore, he also took a swipe at Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, saying, “Instead of apologising, Modi ji is doling out pardons.”
Following this, Gandhi sharpened his critique of Shah, saying the demand for accountability shall continue as protesting children were subjected to ‘lathis and pellets’ on the streets of the national capital. Questioning Minister Shah’s silence, Gandhi said, ““You will have to answer for this crime.”
Thereafter, the Congress leader expressed solidarity with the students staging protests in Ranchi, terming them ‘light of the nation’ and extending his support to the movement.
“Degrees cannot give you jobs”: Gandhi
On Saturday, Gandhi had addressed students at his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Prayagraj, where he spoke about unemployment, education and the potential of India’s youngsters. He argued that education qualifications were losing their value steeply if they could not translate into employment.
A still from the Prayagraj event
He said, “Today the education certifications have no meaning in the country because they cannot give you jobs.”
Further in the programme, he addressed students and Gen Z, describing India’s nearly 40 crore young people as the country’s greatest strength. He said that while global attention focused on the United States, China and Russia, India’s youth represented an unparalleled source of potential.