Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and senior leader of the Indian National Congress (INC) on Friday intensified his critique of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) top brass, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that the Union government was trying to ‘silence’ India’s Gen-Z by registering FIRs against student protestors and blocking their social media accounts.
Rahul Gandhi
In a post on his official ‘X’ handle, Gandhi accused the government of resorting to intimidation instead of addressing the concerns of students protesting the NEET UG 2026 exam paper leak. His remarks further intensified the political standoff between the Congress and the BJP, which has dominated the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament.
His post read, “PM Modi and Amit Shah, you cannot threaten Gen Z into silence. First you broke their bones. Now you are filing FIRs and taking down their accounts. You are India's past. Be careful about how you treat India's future.”
Controversy stems from July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest
The latest political exchange between the party traces its origins to the July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ march at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, which was led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The students who had assembled at Jantar Mantar to protest against the NEET UG 2026 paper leak tried to march towards the Parliament, but were barred by Delhi police personnel and were subjected to excessive police action, including the use of pellet guns, so that the demonstrators could be dispersed.
A visual from the Jantar Mantar protest, in which Gen-Zs were present in thick numbers
The Congress alleged that several protestors were then booked and that social media accounts of some students had been blocked even after the agitation had been withdrawn. The BJP, however, refuted the allegations, accusing the Opposition of exploiting the protests for gaining political mileage.
BJP MP Rahul Sinha slammed Gandhi, alleging that the Congress leader was trying to use Gen-Z to cater to his political agenda. He maintained that public support could only be earned through democratic engagement and electoral mandate.
Congress tears into Union Minister Shah
Gandhi’s latest remarks come almost a day after he questioned Minister Shah’s absence from Parliament amid the row. He uploaded a post on ‘X’ on Thursday, he asked why the Union Home Minister was ‘scared’ of appearing before Parliament to explain the alleged police action against students, adding that the government’s silence ‘reeks of guilt.’
Union Home Minister Amit Shah
He was joined by Congress supremo Mallikarjun Kharge, who accused the government of acting out of ‘revenge’ by pursuing action against students days after the protest.
Heated exchange erupts in Parliament during introduction of anti-paper leak bill
A heated debate had already erupted on Wednesday in the Parliament, when the ruling BJP introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill.
Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge
While defending the student protests, Gandhi referred to a conversation he claimed to have had with an 18-year-old protestor before making remarks that triggered an intense flak from the Treasury Bench members. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju objected to Gandhi’s use of the word ‘idiot’, terming it unparliamentary and requesting that it be expunged from the House records. Speaker Om Birla then stepped in to ensure smooth resumption of the proceedings.