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Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Centre during the discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, alleging that the "real enemy" of students was the RSS and claiming that Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation would be "superficial" as the Education Ministry was not being run by him.
Participating in the debate in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi alleged that the country's education system had been captured by the RSS and accused the government of denying students the freedom to think independently. "Our system is terrible, it's cruel... Everything is being privatised... It is an extortion system, it is a brutal, terrible system. The soul of the system has been captured by the RSS," Gandhi said. Referring to the demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Gandhi said, "Rajnath Singh said that we are not the UPA, our ministers never resign. He is right. Resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan is superficial because Dharmendra Pradhan never ran the Education Ministry. The organisation that runs the Education Ministry is called the RSS. The man who runs it is an OSD sitting in the Minister's office." He further alleged that students were being prevented from pursuing their interests and questioning the system. "So, what the students are really irritated about is that they are not allowed to be students in India, not allowed to follow their passion, not allowed to say what they want, they are not allowed to ask the questions that they want. They have to buy this nonsensical history that the RSS fantasises about... Dharmendra Pradhan is a symbol, the real enemy is the RSS... They are the people who want you to be 'Andhbhakts'," Gandhi said. Earlier during the debate, Gandhi described the nationwide student protests over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak as "not anger" or "violence" but a peaceful expression of the aspirations of India's youth, urging all political parties, including the BJP, to respect the voices of students. The debate also witnessed brief exchanges between Gandhi and Treasury bench members, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju objecting to one of Gandhi's expressions during his speech. The disputed expression was subsequently expunged from the proceedings by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. (ANI)
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