BJP-RSS have hollowed out the education system, Rahul Gandhi standing with students: Congress

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said that Rahul Gandhi had “revealed the secret of this system that has been suppressing students”. File. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

The Congress on Sunday (September 20, 2026) alleged that people of the BJP-RSS have hollowed out and corrupted the education system, and asserted that Rahul Gandhi is standing with the students as they demand accountability, with their voice echoing across the country.

The party’s assertion came after Mr. Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, alleged that a rotten “system”, especially in education, had captured the country and did not want students to ask questions, instead wanting “andhbhakts” (blind followers) .

The remarks came on Saturday (September 19, 2026) at the fifth edition of Mr. Gandhi’s youth outreach programme Chhatron Ki Goonj in Indore, a BJP stronghold, where he spoke on the theme of “system versus students” and interacted with Gen Z and other young participants on education, recruitment and employment issues.

Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, tagged Mr. Gandhi’s post on the programme and said in a post in Hindi on X that Mr. Gandhi had “revealed the secret of this system that has been suppressing students”.

कल राहुल गांधी जी ने उस सिस्टम का राज़ खोला, जो छात्रों को दबा रहा है। यह सिस्टम कौन है? BJP-RSS के वे लोग, जिनका पूरे देश की व्यवस्था पर क़ब्ज़ा है। शिक्षा पर, economy पर, राजनीति पर और संस्थाओं पर। इन्होंने शिक्षा व्यवस्था को खोखला और भ्रष्ट बना दिया है। इस सिस्टम को… https://t.co/TY4nAfEJCa

“Who is this system? The people of BJP-RSS who have seized control over the entire country. On education, on the economy, on politics, on every institution,” he said. He said the BJP-RSS people “have hollowed out and corrupted the education system” because “this system fears students”, who “ask questions, demand accountability”.

“Now Rahulji stands with them, the fear among students has ended. Their voice is echoing across the entire country,” Mr. Ramesh added.

Mr. Gandhi’s visit to Indore on Saturday (September 19, 2026) came a day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat interacted with 1,700 Gen-Z participants at the Yuva Dharma Sansad in Ujjain on Friday (September 18, 2026), and two days after BJP president Nitin Nabin, on his maiden visit to Madhya Pradesh after taking charge as the party’s national chief, launched a government scheme in Indore on Thursday (September 17, 2026).

Mr. Nabin’s visit was seen by many as a BJP move aimed at countering the impact of Mr. Gandhi’s programme in the city.

“The system is afraid of students because students ask questions. The system does not want students; it wants ‘andhbhakts’,” Mr. Gandhi said.

He said students were curious, questioned authority and sought answers about the functioning of institutions, recruitment, examinations and opportunities, while “andhbhakts” lacked these qualities and instead spread hatred.

Mr. Gandhi alleged that the “system” had several layers and targeted Mr. Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, alleging that they exercised control over different aspects of the country’s political, institutional and economic life.

Students posed a challenge to this system because they remained curious and questioned what was happening around them, Mr. Gandhi had said.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.