NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the July 20 student protest in the national capital, alleging that force was used against protesting students and demanding accountability from the government.
In a post on X, Gandhi referred to an interaction with a student in Prayagraj who, he said, had spent years preparing for employment opportunities while his family faced financial hardship.
“‘I have no way out left now’ — this is what a student said to me yesterday in Prayagraj,” Gandhi said, adding that the student’s family had sold land and taken on debt to support his preparation.
Gandhi said the student’s predicament reflected what he described as the failure of a system that had not adequately rewarded the hard work of young aspirants.
Taking aim at Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress leader said 13 days had passed since the protest but the Home Minister had not spoken on the issue.
He alleged that “lathis and pellets rained down on children on the streets of the capital” and said the government would have to answer for the incident. Gandhi added that students were the “light of the nation” and reiterated his support for them.
The remarks came a day after Gandhi addressed the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme at KP Ground in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, where he interacted with students and raised issues concerning unemployment and employment opportunities.
Addressing the gathering, Gandhi claimed that only 12 out of every 1,000 young people in the country were able to secure permanent jobs.
He also accused digital platforms and major corporations of creating what he described as a social-media-driven “addiction” among young people while employment opportunities remained limited.
Gandhi said young people were encouraged to spend increasing amounts of time on reels, messaging platforms and social media even as many were pushed towards gig work and other forms of employment without access to stable jobs.
The Congress leader further said the country had around 40 crore energetic young people, describing them as one of India’s greatest strengths.
