NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday criticised the police crackdown on students protesting repeated paper leaks in competitive exams, declaring that the country’s youth deserved respect and attention rather than batons and tear gas.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament complex, Priyanka highlighted the struggles faced by millions of young Indians. She said aspirants pour years of their lives into rigorous preparation, often with families taking heavy loans for coaching, only to have their dreams shattered by recurring leaks and systemic failures.
“The Prime Minister is the leader of this country. This country belongs to its youth. This Parliament belongs to them,” she asserted. “The least he can do is listen to them, call them, and understand their pain.”
Priyanka strongly demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, invoking the principle of ministerial accountability. She reminded the government that ministers in the past had resigned over major public failures, such as railway accidents, and questioned why the same standard was not being applied now.
She noted that her brother, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, had been consistently raising the issue, but successive governments had failed to deliver lasting solutions. Investigations into previous leaks, she pointed out, typically resulted in action only against junior officials, while the real culprits escaped scrutiny.
When asked about LoP Rahul Gandhi’s remark that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “anti‑youth,” Priyanka accused the government of being “anti‑youth, anti‑poor, and anti‑farmer,” citing its response to farmers’ protests and the current handling of student demonstrations.
Priyanka urged the government to stop using force against peaceful protestors and instead focus on deep‑rooted reforms.
She called for greater transparency, stricter mechanisms to prevent leaks, and concrete steps to rebuild trust in India’s examination and recruitment systems.
Her appeal comes as student protests continue to gather momentum across the country, with opposition parties throwing their weight behind demands for justice and accountability in the NEET‑UG and other competitive exams.
