Referring to a Delhi student who remains in the ICU after being injured during a police lathicharge, the Wayanad MP recounted her visit to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and described an emotional interaction with the student’s mother.
“A few days ago, we went to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to enquire about the condition of the Delhi student who was battling for her life in the ICU after being injured in a police lathicharge,” Gandhi said. She added that the girl’s mother, distressed after repeated visits by political leaders, told her: “Thank you for coming, but I do not want to meet anyone. I do not want to speak to anyone.”
Quoting the mother, Gandhi said she was anguished that “those who are responsible for my daughter’s condition came here” to make videos.
Calling the incident deeply disturbing, Gandhi said, “The sound of her broken heart still resonates in my mind.” Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah through the Chair, she asked, “What was the need to inflict such oppression on an innocent girl?”
Escalating her attack on the government, Gandhi questioned the use of force against students protesting over examination irregularities.”I want to ask Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, what was the need to use tear gas, lathicharge students, use pellet guns and AK-47s? Were the students terrorists?” she asked.
She also demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah explain who authorised the use of pellet guns during the protests. “The protesters were students, not terrorists,” she said, alleging that girls’ clothes were torn during the police action and asserting that violating citizens’ democratic right to protest was “a sin.”
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The Congress leader said the opposition was only demanding accountability from the government and questioned why the Centre appeared “scared of the youth.”
Turning to the education system, Gandhi alleged that the government had “hollowed out” education by filling institutions with “RSS pracharaks” and criticised the centralisation of examinations through the National Testing Agency (NTA). She claimed that instead of rising, the education budget’s share in the Union Budget was declining every year.
She further alleged that the government had weakened employment-generating sectors, leaving students with shrinking opportunities despite rising educational costs.
“Families are forced to bear donations, capitation fees, tuition fees and coaching expenses. They take loans and even sell their belongings, yet there is no guarantee of a secure future because unemployment is at its peak,” she said.
Highlighting repeated examination irregularities, Gandhi claimed that there had been 152 paper leaks in the last decade, affecting 7.5 crore students, but “not a single guilty person or paper leak mafia has been punished.”
She also alleged that since the anti-paper leak law was passed in 2024, there has not been a single conviction.
Questioning the implementation of the law, Gandhi said the government’s record on fast-track courts was poor and alleged that “the CBI counsel did not turn up at the first hearing.”
Listing the demands raised by protesting students, she said they had only sought action against repeated paper leaks, reforms in the examination system, dismantling of paper leak mafias, the resignation of the minister under whose tenure the irregularities occurred, action against those responsible for the alleged police brutality, and protection of their constitutional rights to education and freedom of expression.
She also referred to the resignation of former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, saying he had resigned in “shameful circumstances” but was welcomed with “zindabad” slogans.
Concluding her speech, Gandhi said the Congress and the opposition would continue fighting on behalf of students and the Constitution.
“We would rather die, but we will not let the country, India, lose,” she said.
