Rahul Gandhi backs student protest, seeks Pradhan's resignation, Modi’s apology

New Delhi: A day after being detained during a sit-in protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday reiterated his support for the students protesting over alleged examination irregularities.

He demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accountability for those responsible for the police action against protesters, and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Addressing a press conference, Gandhi played a video that he said showed police using force against demonstrators during the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) 'Sansad Chalo' march on Monday. He said the students' demands were legitimate and asserted that the entire Opposition stood behind them, The Wire reported.

Gandhi argued that Pradhan had failed as Education Minister and should step down, alleging that he had been unable to effectively manage the country's education system. He also called for action against both those who ordered and those who carried out the police action against protesters.

He further said that Prime Minister Modi, as the head of the government, should apologise to students for the events surrounding the protest.

Referring to examination paper leaks, Gandhi claimed that there had been 152 such incidents over the past decade, affecting nearly 7.5 crore students, and alleged that there had been no convictions in any of the cases.

He said India's education system had become "rigged", arguing that students were repeatedly forced to undergo examinations because of paper leaks while receiving little assurance that such failures would be addressed.

Gandhi also claimed that Indian families collectively spend around ₹1.32 lakh crore every year on examinations, a figure he said was nearly equal to the Union education budget, despite recurring examination controversies.

He argued that the students' frustration extended beyond paper leaks, claiming that many young people found limited employment opportunities even after completing higher education. Gandhi alleged that manufacturing had weakened due to an influx of Chinese goods, entrepreneurship faced increasing challenges, corporate employment was being reshaped by artificial intelligence, and public sector opportunities were shrinking because of privatisation, leaving government jobs as the primary aspiration for many.

Reiterating his support for the protesters, Gandhi said there should be consequences for the police action against students and alleged that the country's education system had been severely damaged under Pradhan's leadership.

The press conference came a day after Gandhi, accompanied by Congress MPs and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, staged a sit-in outside the Prime Minister's residence. Although Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh reportedly met the protesters and urged them to end the demonstration, Gandhi and the other Opposition leaders continued the protest before being detained by Delhi Police.

Speaking about his detention, Gandhi said it was his responsibility as Leader of the Opposition to represent the concerns of students, youth and farmers. He described the physical discomfort he experienced during the detention as insignificant compared to the responsibility of standing with people raising their grievances and said he was prepared to endure such consequences in the course of fulfilling his role.